Life As It Is
by Hanzatsu-Hime
Summary: After Miaka and Tamahome left 'The Universe of the Four Gods', everyone's lives have lost the action. And Tasuki doesn't like it. One day, while 'minding his own buisness', he discovers a secret hidden between all 4 empires that only he knows about!
1. Looking For and Finding Fun

**_Fushigi Yuugi_**

Life As It Is

" sigh I am so-o bored! Isn't there anything to do around here? I mean, we _are_ in a palace, for pete's sake."

"Well Tasuki, if you're so-o bored, why don't you go for a walk, you know? That way you can get a breath of fresh air and you might find something that interest you, you know?"

"That's my problem, Chichiri! I have walked around this empire so many times, I know every single person by name and their pets'! I need some adventure! Some excitement! Ever since Tamahome and…Miaka left, this place has been a dump! Even ask the emperor!"

"Well, I guess I'm out of ideas. You might have to create your own adventure, you know? Try making some friends in town and ask if any are willing to go on a journey with you, you know? Maybe you could even go back to Mt. Reikaku, you know?"

"Are you saying that you don't want me around anymore, monk?"

"No no. I'm just saying that without your sparring partner, it would benefit you to find a new one, you know?"

"Ugh…fine! But not Nuriko! That guy is the worst to train with! He doesn't even need to try to kick my ass because he can break my arm like a twig! We actually were sparring partners for two days, before Mitsukake got mad at me for losing and needing his healing powers every hour on the hour. But there is no one else up to my standards."

"What about the emperor, you know?"

"I don't fence or sword-fight! I am a martial artist! And so was Tamahome. Not a single person in the district is as skilled as me now."

"Not even Mitsukake?"

"The guy heals people, not beat them to a pulp! Oh, this isn't helping! Sorry Chichiri, but I gotta go for a walk or I might just have to go find Nuriko and sneak attack him just to have some fun! Later!""

"Bu-bye!"

Tasuki, one of the Suzaku Seven…er, Six, walked away from his optimistic friend with a dark cloud looming over his head. It was true what he said. Ever since 'homie' left after Miaka, he had nothing to do. Everyone else seemed to get along fine but him! Example:

Hotohori: went back to ruling his empire.

Nuriko: stayed in the palace to tend to 'his majesty's' every beck and call.

Mitsukake: became the most famous physician in all of Konan.

Chiriko: took that exam of his and was now in government business, but still remained in the palace walls.

Chichiri: he assisted people everyday by roaming through the city and stopping or fixing any trouble he saw. He also watched children for extra cash, who all loved his shape-shifting and the funny way he talked.

But (Genro) Tasuki had nothing! He was a mountain wolf, he didn't belong in any city, let alone the one he was currently in. He was leader of his pack back home, yet gave all that up to join the Priestess of Suzaku on her quest to summon the great phoenix that represented the land. He gave up his title to his best friend Kouji and there was no way he was getting it back. And he would never do that to such a friend. So, he decided to stay out of Kouji's way and not threaten his leadership by staying in the palace. Plus, he got all the free food he could stomach!

It sounded like a good idea in theory, but he realized a little too late how wrong he was. He was now sort of a palace guard, nothing special. After the war between Konan and Kotou ceased, nothing ever attacked. So, really, there was nothing to defend. Plus, Miaka only asked that Konan stayed peaceful and safe, and she got her wish. But if the job of guarding was taken away, many men would be out of a job. The emperor, being so kind-hearted, decided to keep their position for and minor danger that would occur. And shockingly, there was none! Sounds exciting, eh?

As the trend setting comedian strolled through the city, he could not help but feel like he was in the wrong place. He glanced around at all the happy people, smiling and laughing, and he felt sick just looking at it. How could they enjoy leading such an uneventful life? It was driving him mad! There was nothing to do except draw with a stick in the dirt. Or maybe eat. But how would he be able to defend himself if he ate so much, he was the same width as the empire? Nothing seemed to interest him anymore.

Life was passing him by. He was now an adult, old enough to live on his own and have his own business, but his main skill was martial arts! He wasn't a chef or a tailor. He fought his way through life and that was how he knew and liked it. Changing everything now would be pointless or just erase everything he used to know. And he didn't want to give any of that up. Oh, if only there was some action in this empire! Something, anything, who had the guts to fight him. But by now, everyone knew him and what he was capable of. Every single person! Not one living being did not recognize hi--

That was when an idea hit the red-head in the face. Maybe everyone, but not everything.

He once remembered Miaka telling him about a forest she had once stumbled into. He wasn't sure if she said she encountered a lion, tiger or bear (oh my!), but any one of the three would be a fun fight. A smirk appeared on his face as a glint in his eyes began to shine like the stars. It may not be the greatest challenge, but it was better than nothing. And at least these things posed as a threat and were willing to fight to the death if necessary. It might be disturbing their peace, but if they wanted, they could have his. Because he rather be bloody and beaten then safe and bored.

The owner of the flame-fan found his way into the forest outside the gates of Konan and into the 'dangerous forest'. He just needed to get away. He abandoned his old home, he disliked his new home. What was he to do? With as fast as he feet could carry him, he had ran through the city toward the forest. At least the name sounded interesting enough. It apparently had 'danger'. And he could go for some risk taking, life threatening paroles. And he felt adrenaline pump from his heart into every part of his body. It enticed him.

Upon arrival, he met 'Stripy', as he called him, the tiger. It didn't frighten or challenge him, but it was an okay start to a new fun day. Something he had totally forgotten about. Next came a 'Honey Buns', the bear and 'Koo-koo' the owl. His appearance in the woods sent a buzz by the animals. "What? Is this illegal?" he teased as a group of squirrels started barring their teeth to him. He played 'hop-scotch' around them for a while, laughing the whole time. This was actually fun for him. He wasn't killing or taking lives, but it was still fun. And no human being was even there with him. He wasn't sure if that was something to be proud of, but oh well. That meant more fun for him.

Rows and rows of animals, each fiercer than before, attacked him as he went deeper into the forest. He only thought, '_If the deeper I go, the strong they fight, I can't wait to see what's in the center of it all._' So, he kept going. No matter what the animals did, he just carried on. He was so shocked to see so much excitement happen just by stepping into these woods. Maybe he found his new playground.

Suddenly, once a chipmunk had bitten his ankle, he heard humming. And a flute. "You guys have your own personal rodent band? That sings 'human'? Maybe I _should_ move out here." As if they understood, and weren't happy about it, every single living being, even trees and leaves in the wind, began to cry out in protest. "Man, sorry. Guess I won't. What a nice welcome committee. You know, you don't own the land! The—WOAH!" Before he could even begin his sentence, he was caught in a foot trap and was stuck in a tree. "Ow ow ow ow ow! That's where the mini-monkey bit me! You rude bunch o' midgets. AHHHH!" A bear began to swing at him with a sharpened claw while standing on its back legs and leaning against the tree.

"OKAY OKAY! I'M SORRY! I JUST WANTED TO HAVE SOME FUN! I PROMISE I'LL LEAVE IF YOU LEAVE ME ALO-ONE!"

"Good answer." A voice echoed through the trees.

"Hu—UMPH!" Tasuki's rope was cut and he landed head first on 'Honey Buns'. "AHHHHH!" he screamed as he raced back up into the tree. He held onto the main branch like a child holding on to a toy they want but can't have. He shakily pulled out his trusty flame-entrusted fan and started swatting back at the angered bear.

"L-look, pal!" he fought back, "I don't know w-who your leader is, but maybe you should consult them before whacking off a guy! I don't think any gang hired a bear!"

A light laughter filled the area and drowned out all other sounds. The animals seemed to calm down at the gentleness in the voice they heard, while Tasuki just held the tree even closer. Suddenly, a calm strong breeze blew from all directions and began to gather some leaves from the surrounding trees. The small amount of leaves gathered began to swarm in the middle of the clearing 'everyone' was gathered in.

"Don't worry," the voice from before managed to reassure while laughter was still evident in their voice. The leaves swirled slightly faster, then froze in mid air and floated calmly to the ground. Tasuki couldn't believe eyes, the sight of the young woman emerging from the tornado was too complicated to understand, "You will not be murdered. My little friend here was just teasing you."

The sight of the young female's tongue allowed Tasuki to regain control of his body and defend himself, "Little? That thing was an inch away from hittin' me and I'm all the way up here!"

"Well can you blame him? You are trespassing."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"I suggest you leave my forest immediately. Otherwise, I might offer you to Tsumeato here."

The bear roared with notification. Then he proceeded to stand beside the girl, assuming she was his master. But Tasuki could still not get over the sight of her.

She had long sandy brown hair tied back with a mint green bow in a braid that reached the top of her hips. Her bangs, which were parted to the side, rested over her shiny hazel eyes. Her outfit was a one piece battle costume. It was a plain green fabric that darkened to an evergreen shade in every fold of her outfit. Her sleeves were obviously rolled up so her tattoo was visible; a raindrop-shape life with a semi-circle line around it and her arm. A combat belt hung slanted over her hips, complete with ninja stars and throwing needles. Her pant legs were rolled up too, to make shorts, to make it easier to run he Tasuki supposed. And her shoes were padded brown boots that slid on like another layer of skin. She also had some sort of pocket gear attached to her upper left thigh. If he were into girls, she might intrigue him.

"O-okay, alright, take it easy," Tasuki uttered shakily as he climbed down from the tree, "Can you just tell me why these animals are so defensive about this land? I mean, I now it's there home, but—"

"That should be reason enough!" the girl shouted back, scaring poor Tasuki out of his skin, "If you think tormenting innocent creatures, even if they are 'midgets' as you say, then you have no life or business in my forest. Get out!" She now stood in a fighting position that signaled the creatures in the clearing to get on their guard.

"Whoa whoa there!" Tasuki held up his hands in defense, "Y'all need to relax! I only happened to have strolled in her because…of a friend! She told me a…big scary animal attacked her and I only came here to slay the beast who hurt her," the girl readied a ninja star, "but I can see it was a mix up. Bu-bye!"

"HOLD IT!" the combat ready woman called loudly, halting Tasuki, "I know you are lying. I monitor this forest and anything that happens is either seen by or reported to me. Nothing like that has happened in a long while. You are the first disturbance I have had to endure since that Priestess made her wish."

" gasp You know of Miaka?"

"Who?"

"The Priestess of Suzaku?"

"Only through the animals," At this, the 'mini-monkey' ran up her leg and onto her shoulder while munching on a nut, "They tell me any news I have not heard of yet, to keep informed if anyone is considering moving through these woods. I cannot allow them to…No! Too much has been said. I must leave you now to tend to a threatening matter. If you'll excuse me…"

"Wait!" Tasuki responded instantly, "Threatening? Can I help?"

"Do you know how to treat a broken leg and a smashed nose? With another who has a bruised tailbone and two broken hands?"

"Yeah! See, I get into lots of fights, and---" 

"Never mind that!" she interrupted, "I will only allow you to come if you can promise me no one other than yourself will know of the place I am about to bring you to. Understand?"

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"Call me Koa. And you are?"

"Genro, but more familiarly known as Tasuki, of---"

"The Suzaku Seven, which as recently been terminated to Six. So Tasuki, in order for me to accept your help," she approached him, a throwing needle drawn. He backed away, out of fear, but ended up against his good old friend, 'Tree'. She then cut her wrist with the needle, letting the blood flow free.

"What are you doi--…"

"You must prove it to me. Your loyalty." She grabbed his hand in less than a second and traced the same tip of the needle deep into his wrist. He hissed from the pressure, but gasped a moment later when he felt her bloody wrist against his. He looked down at her confused, but was awe struck by the look on her face.

"Swear on the blood that spills from your wrist unto mine that you won't tell a soul anything. Only then can I trust a stranger such as you." Her eyes were filled with such determination, he knew he could never match such ferocity. But something weird was happening. As his blood enter her and hers came in to him, he felt something weird swell through his soul. It was not an emotion, but some sort of wondrous feeling he had never experienced before. Something that calmed his frightened heart and smoothed out his soul. For a moment, he discarded life.

"Answer me!" Koa called him from his lost mind. He snapped back to reality and nodded drowsily. "No, say it! Tell me you will never tell!" "I-I pr-promise!" he answered, still in a daze. She let go of their wrist and licked over his injury, which shocked completely, then over hers. Her saliva sealed their injuries and the blood on their skin just hardened or drifted away. She pulled out a cloth from her pocket gear on her thigh and cleaned up as much of the mess as she possibly could. Then she used her teeth to rip the fabric in half to wrap around the slice on their skin.

Once her task was completed, she let go of his arm, which dropped to his side limply, and smirked at him. He tilted his head in a curious fashion. She answered his gaze with a simple statement,

"Hope you can tree-hop." And she was off. Tasuki started up his friend, 'Tree', and followed her.

"So," he called to the woman he guided him, "where are we headed exactly?"

"To my village," she answered easier than before, "A few of my friends were injured on their last mission and need medical attention."

"Mission?" Tasuki's ears perked up at that.

"Yes. See, we---huh?" Koa sweat dropped when she turned her head to see Tasuki's rubbing his hands together like a fly with a childish grin on his face, "…Uh, Tasuki?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. I'm listening. You guys must have an awesome life style, right?"

"If you think being outcasts and runaways from the emperor of all four nations thrilling."

"Huh?"

"There. We've reached our destination." Koa declared as she placed a hand against the tree she stopped in.

Tasuki followed her actions and her eyes, only to be shocked and moved by his findings.


	2. The Village Hidden In Their Secrets

**_Fushigi Yuugi_**

Life As It Is

"Wuh…what is all thi—"

"Come on, you have to follow quickly or else you'll have to find another way in."

Koa's words were mumbles in his ears, for he was too shocked and confused at the sight of what was before him. There was a village. In the forest. Well, it made sense if Koa lived there since it was her forest. But then, why were there five houses? Did the animals live with her in their own empire? Was she in need of company because she lived alone, so she built a hut for each set of animals? He was confused, alright. But then was he here to treat 'Stripy' and 'mini-monkey'? Or maybe he was wrong. Maybe she lived with someone. Maybe she…

"TASUKI!"

"Huh? I'm sorry, what were you saying Koi? I mean! Koa! Yes, Ko-_a_?" he blushed darker than his hair.

"Follow me as fast as you can or I'll leave you behind. That would mean our injuries would have been in vein." She jumped down toward her village, which was in a sort of canyon, with Tasuki right behind her.

He knew what she was referring to; the similar marks on their wrist. That also made him curious. What was that about? Why did he have to give her a 'blood oath' just help her help her friends? Why did he have to get an injury in order to heal one? It wasn't making any sense to him at all. It was just going too fast for…

'_…H-huh? What…is this feeling?_' As they landed, Tasuki felt another wave of energy wash over him. It was a similar wave to the one he felt when 'Forest Girl' had pushed their bloody wrist together. It calmed his soul greatly, but only sped up his heart. He had no idea where he was anymore or why this people were here. And how come Hotohori had never mentioned this to him? Did he not know of the tiny village? Oh, Tasuki hated not knowing, so he decided to just be on guard.

"Well, I see the transfusion was a success after all. Good thing, too. If it didn't, we might still be in trouble." Her voice crept into his ears ever so softly.

He turned his head in her direction, only to find, for the first time since he met her, a gentle smile on her face. It was nothing you needed to look into or take rather seriously, but it was…such a sight. And her eyes seemed to have relaxed too, they were no longer stone cold. But the moment was broken when she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted,

"MI-KOMI-I! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"In Arashi's hut!" the mountain wolf heard a squeaky voice answer. Okay, so she wasn't alone.

"Ok-ay! We—I'M COMING! Come on Tasuki! We have to get over to them quickly. Let's move!" and she was off yet again.

Tasuki sighed heavily. '_Why is it that since I met this chick, all I've done is chase her?_ _Oh well, I'm glad that I got what I was looking for. Might as well make the best of it._' So, he was on her trail again.

He watched her through the middle of the 'village'. The huts were in the shape of a five-pointed star. Tasuki thought maybe she had a reason for this, like it held some sort of meaning. He also assumed that meant there was five other people in the village. One must belong to Koa. One to the 'Squeaker' he heard just moments ago. One to each of her two injured friends. And…maybe the other one was for the animals, like he thought?

Koa ran to the hut that, what Tasuki would call from when he was standing up on the cliff, was the top right point of the star. He was only moments behind her. As he came to grab the knob, he realized the door was made of wood; six logs tied together with a rock handle. The hut was also made out of logs, in a vertical fashion. And the roof was just a few layers giant tree leaves tied together with a small openings here and there. They must have been…a poor village. But then, why didn't they just go to Hotohori or one of the other empire emperors, since he had never seen Koa before he assumed she was from another land, and ask for assistance? Even if their rulers refused, Tasuki was sure Hotohori would offer help. That was how Tasuki was treated.

'_No wonder she was worried for her friends. They don't have any modern medication, so it must be even more difficult to help someone when they're injured or ill._' He thought sadly.

"Okay Tasuki!" he heard Koa call from inside, "you may come in now," As he entered, and saw three more women with he. She also added, "Thank you for waiting and giving us time to speak. I'd like you to meet three of my friends. The one who's house you reside in right now is Arashi Faita-Kaze. She is the one on the bed. I told you about her. She is the one with the broken leg and smashed nose."

Tasuki's eyes slowly wandered over to the girl on the bed. She had long, thin blonde hair that leaked over the side of her mattress. She wore a similar outfit to Koa's. Hers was white as the clouds, but turned into a silver shine wherever her outfit tucked away, which was in all the same places as the green suit, except she wore a flowing skirt. Her pocket gear was on the side of her silver slip-on boots, which had not yet been removed from her feet. Her right arm, which hung over the side, had a tornado-shaped tattoo in the same style as Koa's. It even had the circle around the tornado and another about mid-tornado around her arm. But what scared Tasuki was her eyes. The cloth on her nose made it hard to see, but her brown eyes were still able to glare at him disapprovingly, as if to say, "Get out of my house."

Koa, noticing his uncomfortable situation, carried on.

"The one on the futon is Jemu Faita-Mizu. But we like to call her Jem," Koa telling him this, earned herself a glare from the girl on the floor, "She has a bruised tailbone and two broken hands."

Tasuki turned his eyes downward, almost shaking, to see his other paitient. Her eyes were pure blue, like the ocean. Her stare wasn't as hard as Arashi's, but it still made him feel unwelcome. Her hair was a bright blue, it reminded him of Chichiri, and was cut up to her ears. It was very wavy and curled in at the tips. Her outfit was a paler shade than her eyes and followed a cross between the other two styles. She wore pants for her outfit but they fanned out at the bottom. Her gear was wrapped over her shoulder and rested on her hip. Her marking on her right arm was in the shape of a dewdrop. The two circles were evident as well.

"And last but not least, Mikomi Faita-Ki. She was the one you heard respond to my call earlier. She is the youngest, and isn't as skilled in defense as the rest of us, but she is still a valued member of the group." Koa finished the introductions.

And once again, he examined the said girl. Her rose leaf-green eyes were wide as she stared at him in awe, as if she had never seen a guy before. She had more of a hot pink undershirt on with a vale-like cover that substituted as sleeves. She had a pink sash around her waste to tie the over-sized vale that hung over her like a dress. However, it was cute in the middle and floated at her sides. She wore a ruffled skirt, same color as her shirt, for a bottom piece. She had magenta gloves on her hands that matched her shoes and she didn't seem to have any pocket gear like the others did. Her arm symbol was different than the others, though.

The three other girls' marks seemed to represent an element. Leaf for earth, tornado for wind and dewdrop for water. But this little girl had a trace of a rose as her mark, but with the same circular surroundings. He wondered what this meant.

"Well," Arashi's voice broke the silence, "Are you going to treat me or what?" Her voice wasn't rough, just shaken. She tried to act on guard, to show she didn't trust him and that she could defend herself. But he knew both these injured girls would not be able to stand let alone against him. He glanced back and forth between the two bed-ridden girls a couple times before giving Koa a list of things he would need in order to treat them. After hearing what he need, she sped off in search of what he asked for.

Tasuki began with Jemu, only because she was closer to him and he did not want to go jumping around her and then step on her foot or worse, her hand. Her fingers were pointing in all different directions or were curled in an unattractive manor. Her left palm actually had two bones pushing through the middle. And her right wrist was twisted as if she was pointing toward the door without moving her arm. Since she was already on her back resting, there was nothing he could for now about her tailbone.

He explained his diagnosis to Mikomi, then went over to Arashi while watching his steps very very carefully. She turned her head away from him the moment she realized he was coming toward her. He groaned at her ignorance and began examining her leg. But when he went to take off her injured leg's boot, her other healthy leg kicked him in the face. Tasuki went flying and had to forma bridge over Jemu in order not to land on her.

"Arashi!" Mikomi and Jemu yelled in unison.

"Hmph, he will not touch me! He was trying to take off my gear! He was going to…"

"He was going to help you!" Mikomi fought in Tasuki's defense.

"No he wasn't! He was trying to hurt me! Can't you tell? He's just another…"

"Oh knock it off, already!" Jemu yelled up at her fellow injury-ee, "He is just doing what Koa asked of him. Jeez!"

"And Koa asked him to come here because he said he could help you and Jem. You know how Koa is. It's amazing she brought anyone other than one of us here. You should learn to trust him, for her sake. Beside, he made a promise with her."

Arashi's eyes opened wide with shock. She turned to look at Tasuki, but had to drop her fear and concern when she saw him wobbling over Jemu's torso, trying not to land on her. "C-could anyone help me up? I'm still here, you know!" he shouted in a stretched voice.

Arashi grunted as Mikomi helped him stand. "Fine!" she mumbled, "I'll try to like him. But I'm only doing this for Koa. You got that fluffy head?"

"Hmph, whatever you say, girlie. Now sit tight so I can get this boot off. I need to examine your foot."

"You must be lucky," Tasuki turned to the door and the sound of Koa's voice. He also noted she was smiling again, "If it weren't for the fact that she was injured right now, Arashi would surely beat you into the ground the moment you called her 'girlie'."

Koa and the two girls on the floor laughed.

"You bet your ass I would!" Arashi shouted at no one directly.

"That's nice and all, but I think we need to worry more about healing you two before anyone's ass gets kicked. So if you don't mind, Mikomi and Koa, could you help with these two?"

Both girls nodded and did exactly as they were told. But to be honest, Koa was shocked at how much knowledge he had. He had told her he could help heal her friends, but he didn't look like a doctor. Yet here he was, wrapping up Arashi's leg so softly, she wasn't complaining. In fact, she was sleeping! And Jemu's left hand was wrapped up and looking normal again faster than Nuriko had ever landed a punch on him. It was really a sight to see.

After both had been treated and properly diagnosed to Tasuki's extent, he waved good-bye to Mikomi and Jemu, since Arashi was still sleeping. Then he walked off with Koa toward her hut which was to the left of Arashi's.

"I have to say Tasuki, for a martial artist with a personal healer, you were wise in the situation back there."

"Yeah, I …wait, how did you know about Mitsukake?"

"Is that his name? The animals told me about him. I already explained to you how I get my information. Although they call him, 'Pineapple Giant', because of his hair and his height." She giggled in remembrance.

"Yeah, I can see how they get that." Tasuki smiled as he put his hands behind his head.

Koa gasped and bowed. "Oh, please, forgive my rudeness. I didn't mean to laugh at your friend. The animal's just refer to him as that because they cannot pronounce his name. I'm sorry. That was terribly rude of me."

"No, it's okay. Really. It's fine. I call him and everyone else funny names all the time, so forget about it."

"Okay…"

She didn't sound to convinced, so Tasuki decided to move on from the topic.

"So, Koa, I have been meaning to ask you, what is your last name?"

She stopped and turned to look at him.

"My last name? Why?"

"I just wanna know."

"It's Faita-Chi. My whole name is Koa Faita-Chi."

"I noticed that all your last name's originate with 'faita-' in it, meaning fighter. And each one of you matches up to an element. Like you. Your name translation is 'Earth-fighter'. And you also have a leaf tattoo on your arm. But what does all that mean? And why do you guys live here like this?"

"Arashi lives over there," she piped up while pointing to the house they had just exited. Then she turned and pointed to the house left of it, "And that one is mine. To the left of me is Mikomi. To the right of Arashi is Jem."

"Then who lives between Mikomi and Jem?"

"It doesn't matter. You'll probably never meet her since she doesn't like to stay in the village that much. She prefers to be on the go and we get mad at her for that, so she just stays out longer. That way she doesn't have to hear it."

"But why would you get mad at her? Whoever she is…"

Koa just sighed. "I guess I better let you on a few things now that we're sealed. Alright, let's go to my house and get some tea. Then I'll tell you as much as I can."


	3. Explanation To Your Manditory Questions

**_  
Fushigi Yuugi:_**

Life As It Is

The walk over to Koa's hut was filled with so much tension, nothing could penetrate it. Tasuki remained on guard and just glared at the 'Earth fighter's' back. There was no way he was leaving until he knew what that meant. Or for the other members as well. And especially the mysterious lady who never wanted to return. He felt he was in a horror urban legend and a ghost or ogre was going to pop out soon to bite off his head. Seriously, '_What is up with this chick and her friends?_'

As they entered her wooden built hut, Tasuki sighed lightly. He figured at least now, he could calm down. After all, this was Koa's house. Why would she set traps at her own front d--

"AHHHHH!" the said man screamed as he went flying into the air and smacked into the ceiling, "K-K-KO-_A_!" 

"Huh? Oh, so-o-or-ry-y…ha ha ha ha HA! Tasuki, you got trapped? How…how could you not…" she just continued to laugh.

Somehow, Koa was able to avoid the swinging mallot falling from the rim of the door, but our mystery's victim could not. It smashed right into his forehead, just on the line of his eyebrows. He groaned painfully as he tried to circulate the blood in his head.

Okay, maybe he should consider every possible attack from now on. After all, PSYCO TEEN GIRL SQUAD, HERE!

"Hey, this isn't as funny as you're making it seem, you know!" Tasuki said in a Chichiri-like manor. '_Like I needed my headache to get any worse. Too much thinking and now this! Can I say my life is boring now?_'

"Okay, okay. (giggle, cough) Here, come sit down. I'll go grab a cool cloth for your headache. Wait over there," she pointed to a mahogany wooden table with four chairs, "take a seat if you wish."

"Wait," the fire user said in a bit of a shocked tone, "how did you know I had a headache?"

"…Is it not obvious?" Koa answered with her own question, "I mean, you spent most of the day trying to figure out the excuse for our village and now, you have a bump the size of Mini Monkey's head."

"Is that seriously his name?"

"The chipmunk? Actually, yes. You try naming every animal in the forest and keeping it dignified. Besides, he is a bit of a handful whenever he is restless. Which is just about every time he finishes eating." She now returned from digging through a small cupboard with a cloth and a already filled bowl of water.

"So, " the mysterious girl began as she kneeled in front of the closet chair to the door, "why do you stand in my doorway? I offered you a seat on a comfortable chair."

"Because I don't know if that thing is alive and is hungry for butts!" he yelled in defense while pointing an accusing finger in the direction of the table.

"…I think that mallot shook up your brain. It will not harm you, it is made of same wood as my house," she sighed as she saw him jump at her statement and begin to glare at the surrounding walls, "Look, I shall prove to you it is harmless. See?"

Koa placed her hand on the smooth surface of the chair and rubbed the area in a circular motion exactly ten times. His eyes stared cautiously at her and the chair, back and forth, until he dropped his shoulders and headed over to the seat and placed himself down.

"Just so you know, I don't trust this place."

"…You are free feel as you wish…"

Koa had just finished soaking the cloth she had found for him and placed it on his forehead, holding for him a few moments until her delicate fingers began to move the cloth in a calming motion. Tasuki was really awe struck by the situation. 

"Hey," he spoke rougher than he wished, his eyes looking down at his lap.

"Yes?" she responded as she stared intensely at the fabric she was preoccupied with.

"How come you're sitting on the floor and not on a chair? And why are you rubbing my forehead? It's nothing that—"

"Are you displeased by my actions? Would you like to leave?" she asked in a depressed childish voice. His eyes shot up immediately to look into hers. She tried to make them emotionless, it was obvious as to how hard she was trying, but he could defiantly tell he had hit a nerve.

"N-no. No, I'm not saying that. It's just…with you on the floor and me up here, it's almost like you're a geisha or a common serving girl while I am some prince. '_Which I don't mind one bit, but…_' It's not fair for you. Besides, I wouldn't want to act cocky over the Earth guardian, right?" he now gave her a look that stated he wanted that to be explained to him. She only stared at him and sighed.

"All right," she mumbled as she got up, dusted herself off and placed the bowl on the table as she took her seat beside him, "What do you want to know?"

"Everything about you. From beginning to finish in a way I can understand. Then, fill me in on this village."

"…O-okay," she responded, sounding mesmerized, "but I am only at liberty to tell you certain things."

"That's CRAP!" Tasuki shouted in anger, "How can you drag me into this and not fill me in on everything I need to know?"

"If I may say, you brought yourself into this of your own accord and you will be told everything to the fullest extent of what I am allowed to say. Now, if you would be so kind as to sit and pay attention…" she let that hang in the air.

He only grumbled and plopped down onto his seat with his arms crossed.

"Now, where shall I begin?"

"Wherever you think I'll understand best from."

"…Hmm, it seems this will proceed difficulty," Koa admitted as she ran a hand through her hair and tightened the bow holding her braid together.

"Well, this village has been here for almost ten years now."

"Why though? That's the root of my problem with you guys."

"…I can't tell you…until I can trust you."

"Wha…?"

"You can start proving you are trustworthy by believing everything I say and not asking any questions similar to what you just asked now."

"So, I'm not allowed to ask 'why'? This is just going around in a circle. Oh, I can already see stars."

"Do you wish to know or can I just permit you to leave now?"

"Alright, I'm all ears!"

"As I said, the five of us created this village just about ten years ago."

"How old were you then?"

"I think six years old."

"Whoa, six years. That must have been tough on all of you."

"Especially Jem and…the misguided one," Koa sighed, "I know I will be punished for telling you this, but the crazy child I mentioned to you earlier is known as Enzeru Faita-Kaji."

"A Fire fighter?" (**A/N:** no pun is here, in case u think it is. Tasuki is just a trend setter. Example: when he called Tamahome "homie".)

"Yes. Jem and Enzeru had to raise Arashi and I. Mikomi was my responsibility."

"Wait, I thought you were the oldest."

"No, Arashi is exactly one year younger than Jem. Enzeru is almost a week older than Jem. And my birth falls three months behind Arashi. Mikomi is twelve years old. She is mine to nurture."

"…But she isn't your own child?"

"I treat her as one, but no."

"Okay, phew! Continue your story now. I'm listening."

"So we created this village with the help of…our strengths and trained vigorously to enhance our skills. We realized no one could find who or where we lived, so I asked the animals within our district to help us remain a secret. They were all so kind to agree and have all become good friends of mine."

'_It's still confusing though,_' Tasuki thought, '_I mean, I can kinda get why Koa is so protective of her village and friends. But I really gotta know why._'

"I am sorry that is all you can know at this point in time."

'_Damn. It's almost as if she can read my mind. I guess all I can do is ask more questions. Like…_'

"But what I really find strange is this," Tasuki lifted his left arm and rolled back his sleeve enough to see the mark she had inflicted on his wrist, "No offense, but is this a freaky tradition of your 'clan' or…"

"It's a blood oath." Koa stated rather roughly.

"…Blood oath? What for?"

"You have to understand, if I can't tell you our explanation of existence, how could I let you in without a seal of promise."

"So blood is the way to flow?"

"Well, it is a sealed deal when your deoxyribonucleic acid fuses with another."

"…Your what?"

"Your genetic information."

"Oh, okay. '_The normal people I know call it just genetics or d.n.a.. But then again, none of those people ask me to slit my wrist to make sure I don't tell anyone they're going bald._ _But those people also aren't as interesting as Koa. Hmm…something to consider._' "

"This is also an act used amongst our 'clan', as you call it, to keep us in the same bloodline and so we can stay connected at all times. I had to do that with you because we need help and that was the only way my friends would permit you to step one foot near their door."

"Wait, wait, wait! Does that mean…?"

"Yes. You, Tasuki, and I, Koa Faita-Chi, are connected. The same blood that pumps through me mingled with and now pumps through yours."

"I wish you woulda told me about that before slicing me open! '_I most likely would have said forget it!_'"

"Well, your option was to seal your promise of keeping your loud mouth shut or I would have had to knock you out and tie you to a tree in the middle of the forest and make you forget everything you saw of me with a nice fist size bump on your head!" Koa growled, sounding very displeased with him.

"…C-calm down, Cocoa."

"The name is Koa. And you would do well to pronounce it properly and respectfully, cretin."

"Whoa, where'd the peace go?"

"It disintigrated when you started to insult me and my friends."

"…B-but, I didn't! I swear! I—AHHHHH!" Tasuki fell forward and clutched his stomach. Something, just then, squeezed tightly in his gut. He had no idea what it was. Maybe Koa poisoned the water on the cloth and the particles soaked into his skin to harm him.

He heard Koa tsk, and he looked up at her while clenching his teeth. She sat with her legs crossed over one another and leaned against the table.

"…Grr…aren't you gonna…help…me?"

"Did you know lying is one of the greatest burdens you can put on your own soul?"

"What…are you…talking about?"

"When you lie to me, you only injury yourself. The same would go for me. If I lie to you, I would feel the same pain. Each time one of us lies to one another, it will intensify until it becomes unbearable. And this isn't something your 'Mitsukake' can fix."

"B-but…I wasn't…huh?"

"Did you figure it out just now?"

"…You mean…you can read my mind?"

"Precisely."

"So…you heard me?" Tasuki mumbled out as the pain started to let up. He was able to take his seat again.

"Yes. Every word." She sent him a hateful glare, "But it's okay. I am used to it. You pathetic humans are all the same."

"Hey, we…I mean, I'm not pathetic!" 

"Yes you are. You are just like them. You are just another sinful suicidal lost soul who does not know how to do anything else but clear your own path to hell."

"What the hell…on earth are you talking about?"

"Nothing. Forget it," Koa looked at her door, almost in a glazed hurt look.

"Koa…Look, I'm sorry for what I…thought. It's just…this is kinda going a little too fast for me, you know? I mean, one minute, I'm so bored I can't see straight. Then I kicking a bear's butt. Then the bear is swatting at my butt. Now, I'm in a village no one knows about and I only got here because I allowed you to bleed my wrist! You gotta understand, I'm just a little freaked out by all of this!"

"…I see. I guess allowing you to come only stressed you out in the end. I am sorry to have brought you here selfishly."

"No, it wasn't…"

"Normally, the ritual I performed with you is a sacred tradition by our original clan guardians. To perform such a thing with an outsider with you, well, I'm surprised you survived. My blood contains many chemicals that come with my skill. I have the…genetics of my power flowing through every vein in my body. Any one to inherit such a cell through anything other than birth would apparently dis. How is it you…?"

"I guess my 'celestial' blood was able to par with your genetics." Tasuki guessed.

"I suppose you are correct. But still, this is unnatural. And I assure you, if this had happened while I was back with the main chain of our clan, we would both be beheaded."

"…That's nice to know."

"Well, I think I've told you everything I know. Anything else you have to question?"

"Only one. How come you can read my mind, but I can't read yours?"

"Because I have been living in this sort of manor and have been intune with others like this longer than you have. At first, all of us were scared when we heard each other's voices in our heads from time to time. You will be able to hear me when I try to communicate with you telepathically, but I suggest you do not even try to respond. You won't be able to harnest that power until your mind becomes connected to mine and used to the ability you have just received. If you try, you will immediately be drained. Please, do not risk your health just to answer to my call. I will communicate you tomorrow once you have awakened. But for now, you must head home before it becomes too dark out. I shall see you out."

They both stood up at the same time and headed toward the door. They walked almost sluggish, as if they did not want him to leave. But as Koa reached out for the knob for Tasuki, they knew nothing could be done. They whispered good-bye to each other and he exited rather smoothly. Koa closed the door, placed her back against it and fell to the ground.

"What have I done? Please, do not let anyone know Tasuki. I don't want to be hurt again. And I really don't want to risk your safety because of my needs. Be careful and guard my life with your own. For that is what it will take in order for me to survive."

Meanwhile, Tasuki strolled through the village with his head facing down. He was so stunned by his discovery, he didn't know what to think. And because his mind was preoccupied, he didn't notice the show coming at his head.

"Oww!" he grumbled, "Hey, who threw…"

"If you hurt her," he thought he heard Jemu call, "No one will be able to save you."

Tasuki just looked around cautiously for the source. After two minutes, he dropped his tense posture and sighed, "Why do they think I need to be beaten in order to give them my attention?"


	4. More To Question, Two More Join The Fun

**_Fushigi Yuugi:_**

**Life As It Is**

'_AHHHHHHHH! T-Tasuki! Help ME!_'

'_…I-I know that voice! It's sounds familiar…Oh my…is it Miaka?_'

'_…Oh, T-T-Tasuki_' –_it was obvious the person was crying_- '_…it…it burns…Tasuki, it burns! It's burning me from the inside! My soul feels as though it's evaporating from the heat! I…I can't…live…onward…_'

'_(gasp) No, it's…K_-KOA!" Tasuki jumped up out of bed, forgetting he had made it back to Konan's Imerpial castle last night. With sweat trickling down his cheeks and forehead, he subconsciously brought his hand up to his heart. He felt as though by the time his mind registered one beat, another took its place. With the inability to understand anything at the moment, his mind played dead and drew a blank. His breathing was almost nonexistent and eyes were as wide as his hands' length. The red-hair man sat there for almost a minute before a sweat drop ran over his eye and blurred his view. That seemed to snap him out of his trance since he blinked for the first time in who knows how long.

"Arg, damn…something! Stupid fear for making me freak out, stupid mind that won't work!…AND STUPID…what are these anyway? Why won't they…go away…" After trying to clean his eyes out with no result of change, he realized it wasn't sweat, but unreasoned waterdrops coming from his eyes, not around them. They were soundless, gentle tears. Nothing to fuss about, but something touching to Genro. His face relaxed and he finally finished his 'stupid list'.

"…Stupid Koa, for doing this to me."

Obviously, this dream or night terror was disturbing to the fire-weilding celestial warrior. What hit home most of it all was the pitch and tone of her voice. And on top of that, what she said…

'_…Tasuki, it burns!…My soul feels as though it's evaporating from the heat! I…I can't…live…onward…_'

His grip tightened on his chest. Why on Earth, no pun intended, would he dream the Earth goddess saying that? He had just learned of her the day before and his mind was curious about something like that happening to her? Why was what he could not understand. Sure, a blood oath was new to him so blaming this on that would be convient and easier for him, but it didn't not settle his on-edge nerves. Besides, this 'Enzeru' chick was 'fire' not Koi…

"AH! Ko-_A_! Ko-**_A_!** Man, I gotta get that right sooner or later…" he yawned his thoughts aloud as he streched in an upright position. He rubbed his now clearing eyes and turned to look toward his paper thin doors, wanting to see some light. Only to come face-to-face with a…

"HI-YAAAH, Y'KNOW!" …a hyper…er-active chibi Chichiri, complete with a 'Kitty' on his head.

"AAAHHH!…phew, ya right! What the heck are you doing in my room this early anyway?" growled the shocked now one hundred percent wide awake man.

"But you were groaning in your sleep, it sounded painful, y'know? And what are you talking about, early? It's an hour 'til sunset, y'know." The celestial monk confirmed.

"WHA--?" the ex-mountain bandit howled as he jumped up and ran for his door. He wipped it open to reveal a twenty degree sun in the sky.

"…Aw man, Koa's gonna kill…"

"I've been meaning to ask you by the way, who's this Koa you're always thinking about?"

"HUH? I ain't always thinking about no one! How can I when we just met yesterday?"

"Oh? Tell me all about it, y'know!"

"…Uh…" '_Okay, if I tell she'll really kill me!_'

'_You bet your scorched backside I would!_' the thought-of girl answered telepathically.

"AHH-HA- HAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Tasuki squealed out of shock.

"Hmm? Tasuki, are you alright?"

"Y…y-yeah…I'm…great…"

'_Answer his question truthfully and I'll show what the fires of hell feel like without Enzeru's help!_'

"'Fire'?" '_…Tasuki, it burns!…_' he seemed to lose his spunk after that.

"Tasuki, are you having a war inside your head or something?" the celestial warrior asked his fellow samurai.

'_You could say that…_' "…To answer your question Chichiri," Tasuki sounded rather solemn, "I met her yesterday while I went travelling for a bit. That's all I'm gonna say."

"Oh, you're no fun, y'know," Chichiri pouted. He returned to regular size and knocked Kitty off his head from his magical growth spurt, "I guess I'll leave you alone then, y'know? C'mon, Kitty." And in mere moments, the 'good morning sunshine' crew had left the room.

"Phew…" Tasuki sighed rather emotionlessly, "I wasn't sure if he would leave or not."

'_GENRO TASUKI!_' Panic returned once again, '_You promised me you'd come back to the village to see me today! Breaking a promise is burdening your soul with a lie, y'know!_'

"Ah, she sounds like Chichiri…wait, lie? OH NO! I lied to Chichiri! The pain thingy! Oh man, here it com—"

'_Ha ha, silly,_' the feminie voice in his head sounded as though she had cheered up, '_That only works when you lie to the person you commitef the blood oath with. And contrary to your belief, you did not lie to your chibi friend. You just decided not to continue on._'

"Man, she has so many mood swings…"

'_You know, you have to think what you say aloud, so I can still hear you even if we aren't communicating per say._'

"EEP! S-sorry, but it's true…don't hurt me!"

'_I won't need to if I see you within today's time! When are you coming to see me? Whether you want to or not, you promised, and—_'

"N-NO! …I want to. I just…lost track of time," he sounded nervous and scared at first, then changed back to his regular self, "I'll be there soon, alright? I can only move so fast!"

'_…Uh…right. Well then, I shall see you upon your arrival. I promise not to disturb you until then. Good-by—_'

"WAIT!" Tasuki shouted at such a high pitch, he was extremely thankful glass windows hadn't been invented yet.

'_Hmm?_' was Koa's way of answering.

"…Well, I, uh…I…forgot how to get to your village. Ha ha…ha. Koa? You still there?"

'_Y-yeah. I just seemed to have gotten a dizzyspell and had fallen over. I shall connect with you in a few moments when my head stops spinning._'

! _Outside the room…_ !

"Heh, okay. Maybe you could ask Arashi to fan you. Or maybe Jem to get you a wet cloth…That ain't labouring them! They should want to help you if they can!…You sure?…Okay, I'll be on my way in a minute."

"Hmm…" a certain monk mused as he stood, leaning against the outside wal of his friend's room, "It seems our little Tasuki has finally earned himself manners and better people skills, y'know?"

"Meow?" Kitty asked, sounding confused, as he tilted his head slightly to the right.

"But I wonder…who'd he receive these skills for and from?…Maybe we should find out. Whatta you say?"

"Meo—"

"KITTY! DINNER!" Mitsukake's voice rang throughout the palace.

"MEOW!" Kitty answered almost as loud and ran off in the sound's direction.

"Well then, I guess it'll just be me, y'know. HOOA!"

And in a puff of smoke, Chichiri was no longer there. At the exact moment the smoke cleared, Tasuki burst out of his room.

"Alrighty Koa, lead the way!…Right, I'm off!…Nah, I'll just be back tomorrow morning before anyone wakes up."

Tasuki thought it would be that simple. But little did he know, or notice, there was a little chibi resting in his hair.

! _Later that night, a few treehops away from the village…_ !

"Aw man! It didn't take this long last time!" Genro whined after escaping 'Honeybuns' for the second time on his second trip to the Elemental village.

'_That's because last time you took the easy route, one any living creature could take and follow you! You seem to have Lady Luck on your side, since no one noticed your presence._'

"I wouldn't call that luck…" he sweat dropped.

'_Call it what you wish then. Now, take the next twelve trees right and continue on straight._'

"Okay…h-hey, Koa?"

'_Hmm?_' she answered in the same fashion as before.

"Have you ever…I don't, this'll sound weird, but…have you ever been horribly burned or something?"

'_…No, not that I can recall. Wh—(gasp)!_'

"What? What's wrong?"

'_…N-nothing. Why do you ask?_'

"I just…had this weird dream last night. You were calling for me, but I couldn't see you, only hear you. You were crying, telling me you were burning from the inside; your soul was evaporating from the heat. You told me…you couldn't live onward…"

'_…Tasuki, does that nightly vision worry you?_'

"Uh…maybe." He was so thankful she couldn't see him blush.

'_Thank you for your concern,_' she sounded really happy, and that made him smile, '_Let's just hope that wasn't a premontion._'

His smile faded. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

'_Okay, you're about fifteen trees away from—_'

"Koa! What are you talking about?" his seriousness was a bit frightening.

'_…It's just…when each Elemental's body finally excepts their element, each person goes through a different process. And—AH! Tasuki, hold on! Don't come any…_'

"HIYA!" a battle cry echoed through the trees.

"What the—WHOA!" Before he could finish his sentence, he had been knocked out of the tree he was in, which happened to be the one right in fornt of the village, and was being used as foot stool. Whoever this was also thought it was necessary to stand on his left wrist while bringing his right arm back and threatening to rip it off.

"Ow! Just who the heck are you?"

"I could ask you the same thing, red-head! What do you think your doing near my village?"

"_Your_ village? This isn't _yours_, it's _Ko_—wait, are you…Enzeru?"

**

* * *

Author notes:**

This chapter will most likely be the shortest.

Next time:

-Enzeru enters the scene!

-Chichiri pops into the scene

-Enzeru releases Tasuki from her crushing grip and ends up groping the Konan Emperor!

Stay tuned! 

Jiki-out! PcEz!


	5. Enter Enzeru! & All the Trouble With Her

**_Fushigi Yuugi:_**

Life As It Is

"…How…do you know my name?" questioned the fire woman. Tasuki took her shock as a chance of opportunity and pushed her off him. He sat up, putting support in the heels of his hands and stared at the girl.

Now that he had a chance, he got a good look at her. She had red hair, a mix with gold, long with a spiked bottom. Her eyes were a shiny amber shade that held many emotions. She wore a kimono like battle suit that exposed more cleavage then any of the other girls. It was pure (blood) red with a pinkish colored wrap. And her tattoo was just like the others; her symbol was a flame.

"Koa told me." He answered with a small growl. Enzeru, as she had been revealed to be known as, allowed her eyes to grow visibly wide and let a small gasp go.

"K-Koa? My Koa?" she placed a hand over her heart. Tasuki's jaw dropped.

"Y-yours?" he wondered aloud. Before she could answer, he felt a gust of wind b low by, knowing Koa had arrived on the scene. She stood in front of Tasuki, as if protecting him, and stared hard at the missing elemental.

"Hello Enzeru." She said in a tone that could not be placed in a category. Enzeru's eyes flashed too quickly with an emotion, then she jumped up and glomped the earth girl.

"Koa! This boy's so mean to me! He told me you let him into the village and—"

"—I did." She answered, sounding as if that was no problem at all. Enzeru just whined more.

"But...but why? I know that means you preformed the ritual with him! Does that mean he's more important to you then us? Then ME? Just because he's an outsider!"

Tasuki was even more lost when Koa wrapped her arms around the sad one's shoulders and gave her a caring hug.

"No, " she answered softly, "he doesn't mean more to me then you. Now come on silly, let's head home, okay? You know we've all missed you, right?"

"Yeah…I missed you guys too." Enzeru answered truthfully, though it sounded forced.

"Come on you two, let's head back." Koa instructed while turning to face the village.

"Right." Tasuki agreed with a nod as he followed her stare. He gazed at the sun before returning his eyes to her, only to find the two girls holding hands, side by side, beginning their walk back. Tasuki just felt his eyes grow small and his hand twitch as he followed somewhat behind.

****

"ENZERU!" the remaining three shouted at the sight of their comrade. The said girl smiled happily at her friends and let go of Koa to run and respond to their open arms. Tasuki hear Koa sigh and only growled to himself. '_I'm beginning to wonder if there's more going on in this village…_'

After ten minutes of hugging, Tasuki tapped the leaf-tattoo bearer on the shoulder. She snapped out of her gaze to look at him, "Yes?"

"Can we…head over to your hut? To talk?" he said in a deep voice. Koa, though uneasy, nodded in agreement. She notified her friends of her plans, which made them moan in protest. But she just waved them off and walked along side the flame-fan boy. On the way, she could've sworn she heard,

"_Wonder why she won't hold my hand…_"

Upon arrival, Koa opened the door for them both for entrance. He went in first without any recognition of her action and took a seat as what he would now call 'his chair'. She followed his actions into the room. But once she saw his anger, she finished playing copy cat and sat in his chair too. On his lap. He was startled out of his seriousness by her action and looked up at her with a face to prove it.

"What's on your mind? I know something's bothering you." She pointed to his forehead and her own as a sort of hint.

He instantly regained his composure and returned her curiosity with his wonder.

"Are you and her going together?If that was an anime scene, they would've turned into chibi with a sort of line-eyed sweat-drop expression.

"…Why on Earth would you think such a thing?" she asked him in anger, putting her hands carefully around his neck. He took that as a sign to choose his words.

"Well, you held her hand and you hugged her and—"

"---Enzeru is my mother!" she shouted. Tasuki was shocked by her words. She jumped off his lap and added to her explanation, "You wouldn't understand. Enzeru and Jem raised Arashi and I. But I always admired Enzeru for her strength and personality. I looked up to her and she was always there for me. The problem with her is…"

Tasuki saw the girl clench her fist and saw this was becoming a sore topic for her. He stood up and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Instantly, she wiped around and looked him in the eyes, "The problem with her is that 'life's too short'! She runs around from place to place, looking for freedom. She doesn't realize if she does, all our work over these last ten years would be in vein! Once I discovered her reasoning behind leaving, I felt I had to take over. If she wasn't here, I wanted to be.

"With her, things go by in life too quickly to truly enjoy it. Like right now. Ever since she arrived things have been speeding up. This is the most calm my heart has been since I sensed her presence. Get used to it, because that's how life is with her around. She needs something to always keep her occupied and interested or she leaves in search of more. That's why I get so mad at her and hate her when she's gone. But I'm overjoyed when she comes home. She knows I idolize her, so she uses it to her advantage and says things like, 'even more reason for you to be head girl around here!'. But…I don't want to be all the time. I hate being the leader because it means she's…not here.

"That's why I didn't want to talk to you about her. She gets such a reaction from me, sometimes; I want to pound her face in! But I care about her and the others too much to do that. So I just sit back and—"

"—let them use you?" Tasuki added his own ending to that sentence.

"What?" Koa spat.

"If that's how you feel, let them know. Let Enzeru know how you really feel. Otherwise, you'll burn yourself out." Those last few words came out of him through a clenched jaw. That's when Koa remembered.

"Tasuki, you mentioned something before about me burning. Is that what you were referring to?"

"I don't know. But if it is," he grabbed her shoulders and looked his right in the eyes with such a look of fear and anger, "You better knock it off right now, ya hear?"

Koa figured it out. That dream he had that he mentioned really spooked him. He was worried about her now. Meaning he cared about her. When he saw her devotion to Enzeru and her ignorance of him, he got jealous and thought she didn't feel as strongly as he did. So, he _had_ become interested in the village enough to become fond of its meaning and people. Enough to become jealous over a girl-girl friendship. The Earth elemental smiled wholeheartedly and leaned into Tasuki.

"Tasuki, I—"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! KO-_A_!" the two heard Arashi scream. Realizing their awkward position fast, the two jumped apart and ran out the door. Figuring everyone was in Enzeru's hut, they headed in that direction.

Only to be met by the sight of the girls standing behind the house screaming at the sight of a blue haired man.

"…Chi…chiri?"

"You're acquainted with this man?"

"N-I mean, I…"

"Who is he?"

"What does he want?"

"Why is he here?"

"No matter what, he knows our secret!"

"What'll we do?"

"Uh…hi, y'know!"

"AHH! It spoke!" the elementals all jumped behind Tasuki. The two guys sweat-dropped.

"Hey, I'm not an 'it', "I'm a 'he', y'know! I'm Chichiri of the Suzaku, y'know? I was just worried about Tasuki's weirder behavior and decided to see what was going on, y'know?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'WEIRDER'? YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WEARS A MASK THAT HAS NO EYES!"

"So he is your ally?" Koa was unreadable as she came out of hiding.

"…Y…yeah…" Tasuki cautiously replied.

"So…is he trustworthy?"

"Depends on what mood he's in."

"That's not good enough. GET HIM!"

"YEAH!" the girls cheered with Koa.

"TASUKI, HELP y'know!"

"WAIT! I WAS KIDDING!"

!oo! _After a small fight scene and a serious conversation …_ !oo!

"Hmm…I guess we can trust him," Enzeru sighed as she shrugged, "I mean, he doesn't appear very threatening at all,"

"Hey, I find that offensive, y'know!"

"And since Koa had enough guts to trust this tan-man, I guess he can't be all that bad."

"…Tasuki, why do you come here?" Chichiri wondered.

"Heh heh…they really have their good points about them."

"Which he will never know!" Koa screamed.

"Koa…calm down. He's okay, really." Tasuki tried to reassure the woman who had leapt up off the ground in anger, obviously directed toward his best friend. He had noticed she was tense the moment he made his joke about Chichiri's moods. Now, she had a hunter's gleam in her eye and would surely take a year minimum to trust him. The whole discussion, as it took place on Enzeru's hut's floor, was visibly not sitting well with her. She had her hand resting on her pocket gear the whole time. The flame-wielding man sat beside his male friend, fearing for his life, while the 'court session' took place.

"Enzeru-sama," Koa turned to the said girl, "I don't think it would be wise to-"

"But Koa, you let _him_ in," Enzeru said with disgust, giving Koa a plotting evil stare. Tasuki knew this was going to do something to Koa's control and decided to watch her carefully for the time being,

"I don't think it would be very fair if I allowed you to keep your _pet _within our village's limits and not let the others and I enjoy company too. Is it not you who is always begging me to stay? Well, maybe if we had more guests I would."

"Are you telling me you need other people here, other than us, to make you stay? What is this 'I' you speak of? To me, Enzeru, whenever you leave, you throw away your identity and membership to our clan. You can't even be called human because of what you are, so why try-"

"SHUT UP!" Enzeru bellowed, "Don't give me any lip! Chichiri can stay and be apart of our village as much as he wants to be, as much as Tasuki!"

Suddenly, Koa chuckled. Once, twice, then gave Enzeru the same look as she had given her.

"But Enzeru-sama," her tongue could drip visibly with venom, "how can you say 'our' village when you don't even dwell within its walls? You seem to misinterpret. Once you left me the position, it's mine now. You may come and go as you please, but I'll always be here picking up your sla—"

**! SLAP !**

Koa was almost tossed across the room with the impact of the blow. She stumbled backwards and ended up on the ground. It took her a few moments, and everyone else in the room, to snap out of shock and bring her hand up to her face to feel the wound. It was stinging, but was nothing compared to the stab in her heart.

"E-Enzeru! How could you?" Mikomi rushed to her 'sister's' side and held her close, "She does all she can to try and help you! She willingly accepted your position so you could be free! How could you just-"

"No, Mikomi." Koa whispered for only the young girl to hear.

"B-but _onne-chan_…" Mikomi mumbled, a few tears springing into her eyes.

"What am I always telling you? Try to live…a clan life. But shall you stray, except your punishment's blow. I disregarded many things in my outburst and took it out on poor Enzeru-sama. I apologize. Now if you'll excuse me," she grunted as she stood up, "I'd like to take my leave before I make an even bigger fool of myself. Good evening everyone."

The Earth elemental bowed, making sure when she returned to her up-right position that her hair was blocking her eyes, and somewhat jogged out the door. All were left mystified before Tasuki turned to his friend and sent him a signal. In less than two seconds, Chichiri was up and following Tasuki out the door.

The remaining elementals looked at each other, excluding Enzeru.

"Koa…" Arashi whispered under her breath. Mikomi walked over to her and the wind mistress openly gave her a hug.

"Enzeru…you okay?" Jem asked, looking up at the girl in question. She couldn't see the girls eyes under her rough bangs, but once Jem had called to her, Enzeru turned away to look out the only window in the structure.

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm not the one that got struck." Jem noticed her cheeks rise slightly, as if she was smiling…

"Enzeru, I know you don't-"

"Oh man…"

"Huh?" Jem questioned, barely sure if she caught the fire girl saying anything.

The water elemental watched as the girl in front of her brought her hand to her face, trying to block out the sound her words would make. Though her attempts were in vein and what was wanted to go unnoticed was heard by the curious girl:

"She won't get over that for a long, long time."

!oo! _With Koa… _!oo!

She sat with her back against the door, trying to block out anyone who wanted to get in. She sat, in a daze, not even noticing the tears going down her face. She was so locked up in her mind; she couldn't even register what was in sight. A random sniffle of small cough could be heard, but no one was around to notice.

'_I'm sorry…_' she thought to herself, '_I'm so wound up right now, I didn't understand. I was so confused. With Enzeru's return, only a day after my acceptance of a stranger into the village, and then for another one to show up out of thin air! It was too much for me to handle! I was worried that with another one in the village, our group would become accustomed to letting others in. That isn't possible! I've worked too hard to keep everyone safe; I'm even working the forest creatures over. I feel awful…_

'And now Enzeru…oh, she must hate me. For me to disgrace her in front of not only our family, but two new friends! No matter what, she is apart of this family, even if at times I'm not strong enough to accept that. Even if she's never here to prove she enjoys being apart of our lives. I just wish…she'd stay…at least so we can make sure her acceptance ceremony goes smoothly. I wouldn't want her to leave and never know if her element was too-'

"HEY! KOA!" Tasuki shouted from outside her door. She snapped out of her daze at the sound of his voice. She lifted her back off the door and turned her upper body to face the direction his voice came from, in hopes he was there to comfor—uh-hem, talk with her.

"Yea-"

**! BAM !**

"…OW!" Koa screamed from her spot across the room, rubbing her sore bottom.

"Huh? What are ya doin' all the way over there?" Tasuki questioned from his position in her doorway.

"Grr, you should know! You flung the door open and knocked me all the way over here! Ever heard of knocking!" she howled in frustration at the inconsiderate man.

"Oh! S-sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"And here I thought you were growing up, y'know?"

Koa froze. Out from behind Tasuki appeared the mysterious blue-haired monk. He locked eyes (through his mask) with the girl on the floor and remained calm. Honestly, he had no idea what was going on was kind of scared of these people now, but decided he would give them a chance for Tasuki's sake. After looking into her confused hazel orbs for a few moments and no action, the fourth Suzaku Seven warrior walked over to the girl and offered her his helping hand. She was surprised at first and remained still to examine his gesture, as is she was some tiger cub. Tasuki kind found that cu—uh-hem, uh…nice?

After what felt like hours, Koa shakily took his offer and he helped her up with a smile.

"There ya go, good as new, y'know." Chichiri chirped with a smile. Koa felt her cheeks grow hot at the sight. She turned away instantly and held her hand out toward her table.

"…P-please, have a seat." She offered, trying to appear calm.

Both men in the hut nodded and did as they were instructed. Tasuki sat in what he had instinctively labeled as his seat and Chichiri to his right. Koa sat in the seat she had the first time he entered her home, in the farthest seat from Chichiri.

"So, why are you two here?" Koa inquired.

"Well, we came to see how you were doing. We wanted to make sure you…weren't bruised or anything." Tasuki replied, lowering his perkiness so he could appear caring to the girl, showing he wasn't joking around for once.

"I probably won't be from Enzeru, but from being knocked across my hut, most likely!" she sent him a glare.

Chichiri laughed behind his hand.

Koa looked at him a studied him. She looked uneasy at his mask, as if he was hiding himself from her. She didn't sit easy with that. Tasuki noticed she was staring at his best friend and was curious immediately as to why.

"Um, excuse me, sir-"

"Call me Chichiri, y'know." He sounded cheerful enough, so she let her muscles loosen in the slightest.

"Chichiri-_kun_, I don't mean to pry, but…um, why…"

"Do I wear this mask?"

"Yes, that was my question. But if you'd prefer not to tell me, I understand. There are some things one prefers not to openly discuss, I included."

"No, it's okay, y'know. Friends share, right?"

"…Y-yeah…"

"Would you prefer it if I took it off?" his tone changed; from bubbly to deep.

"If you wouldn't mind." She said casually while crossing one leg over the other and resting her chin in one of her palms, waiting anxiously to see the secretive face.

"No problem, y'know." He replied calmly and did as she wished. The red-head of the three was slightly shocked to see how open he was with these people, since he knew they scared the hell out of him. He wasn't sure, but he also thought he saw Koa blush earlier at Chichiri's smile. He decided to blow it off, thinking he was getting paranoid over nothing.

Then he thought, why the hell would he care?

Koa's gasp brought Tasuki back. He looked at the girl and could see she was blown away by the sight of Chichiri's true facial features. "Oh my…" she whispered out, causing an angry anime sign pulse on Tasuki's temple. '_He's notthat good looking._' He scoffed while turning his head, crossing his arms over his chest in disapproval.

"You can probably guess by now why I wear this mask, huh?"

"Oh, yes, I see. However…I think the mask is adorable and all, but perhaps you would have a girlfriend by now if you were to throw it away." Koa offered helpful advice. Chichiri scratched the back of his head and smiled.

"Now now, Miss Koa. I'm not looking for a girl right now, y'know. A girl's actually the reason," –he dropped his hand and stare- "behind my scared face."

"Oh my…Chichiri, I'm truly sorry. I was unaware."

"It's okay, y'know. I hadn't told you yet so there was no way you could've, y'know? But it was nice of you to say that about me, so thanks." He smiled again.

"Okay…" she didn't sound satisfied with that answer.

"Now, moving on Miss Koa, there are some things I'd like to discuss with you." He placed his mask on the table and clasped his hands together, looking her in the eyes.

"As I have previously told your friend-"

"Hell-O! I'm sitting right here! And I have a name!" Tasuki growled in anger.

"Oh, yes you are."

"Why, you little…"

"As I've previously told _Tasuki_, the whelp," –both those in conversation laughed, Tasuki just scowled and glared- "I am only at liberty to explain so much to you. It's the rules I've set for us, to keep us safe."

"Of course, y'know. I'll accept that." Chichiri nodded.

"Heh, well, then this should be easier then the first time I tried."

"Does anyone even care that I'm here?" Tasuki whined.

"Yes yes, that's nice. Now then, each of the girls here…"

!oo! _Later, after a long talk…_ !oo!

"Wow, this village is fascinating, y'know!" Chichiri was truly in awe. He had always been able to sense others presences, but never once noticed this village before. He assumed it was because each one of them honed an element, so their energy just molded with which ever they were connected with, making their aura unnoticeable.

"Thank you. I shall take that as a compliment." Koa bowed slightly in appreciation.

"You should. If I could, I'd trade my celestial blood with one of you any day!"

"Funny you should say that…" Tasuki decided then to join in the conversation, standing up from his seat and looking rather cocky, as if this was his area of expertise.

"Oh?" Chichiri asked, sounding intrigued.

"Tasuki!" Koa warned.

"No Koa, he needs to know. It's only fair. I mean, you preformed it with me."

"But I can't force one of the others to do that!"

"Then you do it with him!" Tasuki shouted in her face.

"I can't!"

"WHY NOT?"

"Did you notice when you went home, you were more exhausted then normal? It takes a lot of energy, even for me, to keep up with the strength of…_that_. It's basically suicide to perform two in two days, even more so with you two since your blood is different and stronger then normal people."

"So what do we do then? Just let him leave and never come back after all you've told him? That isn't right!"

"I know, but…"

"Uh, can I have any say in this?" Chichiri piped up after a while.

"Yes, Chichiri-_kun_?" Koa completely returned her attention to the man.

"What is it you guys are walking about?" he tilted his head in a chibi-like fashion in curiosity, making him look like a little child. Koa was taken aback, and soon sighed in defeat.

"Oh dear…" was all she mumbled before grabbing Chichiri by the hand, shocking Tasuki out of his mind, and pulling him outside. Tasuki followed in…wonder. Definitely **not** jealous. Upon arrival at her destination, the middle of the five huts, she placed her thumb and index fingers at the corners of her mouth and made a high-pitch sound. In mere moments, the other three permanent residents exited there homes.

"What is it, _onne-chan_?" Mikomi asked as she rubbed her eyes, standing beside Arashi.

"Yeah, what the hell? Shouldn't you be sleeping?...And shouldn't they be gone!" Arashi raised her voice at the sight of the two men with her friend, pushing a half-conscious Jemu off her shoulder.

Koa ignored her friends and turned to Chichiri.

"Chichiri-_kun_," –her three friends gasped and were brought to complete consciousness after hearing that- "in order for me to accept you into this village ever again and to let you go with your head attached to your shoulders, you need to perform a blood oath."

"…A…what?" he asked, quite shaken after what Koa had said.

"Tasuki, show him your wrist please."

"Why should I?" he asked with his hands behind his head.

**DEATH GLARE!**

He faltered for a moment, then sighed and did as he was told. He slipped his sleeve and showed Chichiri his cut. Chichiri gasped at the sight. Then stiffly and shakily turned back to the girls and Koa. "…A-and?"

"You get to choose which girl you wish to perform the blood oath with." Koa informed.

"What exactly to I halfta do?" he was on the verge of tears; tears of fear!

"You slit your wrist,"

"WHAT?" he whined and lost the ability to hold back his tears.

"And seal your blood with one of the girls, sealing your alliance with us. Only then can we trust you. You like your head, don't you?"

"I LOVE IT!" he squirmed, holding onto his cheeks.

"Good. Now choose."

"I don't remember agreeing to this." Arashi huffed.

"I don't remember asking you, so we're even. It's Enzeru's decision to let him stay, so we have no choice." Koa informed her friends. They were surprised by her sudden change of mind, so decided to go along with it.

"All right, Chichiri!" Tasuki cheered, "You get your pick of bachelorette one, two, three! Nice!"

"Is there a problem with me? You don't approve?" Koa got a deathly look in her eyes.

"…Maybe…"

**! KAPOW !**

"…I pick…her!" Chichiri pointed to the water elemental, completely ignoring the fact his best friend just got slugged and sent flying into the forest.

"May I inquire as to why?" Koa questioned.

"Well, Miss Mikomi here is just a child and Miss Arashi doesn't really seem to approve of the whole idea. I hope you don't mine, Miss Jem."

"P-please, just 'Jem' is fine. That's my nickname." Jem smiled slightly.

"Okay then, y'know," Chichiri agreed, "Plus, we both have blue hair."

"YEAH! POWER TO THE BLU-IES!" Jem cheered suddenly.

Everyone sweat-dropped.

"…Ehe heh…yeah!..." Jem silently shrunk down a bit.

"Well, randomness is fun, y'know." Chichiri said positively as he scratched the side of his head.

"Yes, and Jem is full of it." Arashi murmured, still holding onto her annoyed expression.

"Uh-hem, not then, "Koa tried to regain the previous mood, "since that's settled, Chichiri-_kun_, why don't you and Tasuki stay the night? The sun has already set, there is no need to start a journey now."

"Sounds goo-"

"OH, NO!" Tasuki shouted, sounding like a drunk, as he emerged from the trees in between Arashi and Jem's huts, "I ain't staying over night with _her_! Chichiri let's g-"

"Where will I be sleeping?" Chichiri questioned the girls.

Tasuki fell over anime style, face first in the dirt, "I give up. I just give up."

"I don't even know what you were trying to do in the first place." He heard a voice say over his head. He looked up to see 'Mother Nature' looking down at him emotionlessly.

"Not you again," he groaned with a sigh, "haven't you tortured me enough for one day?"

"How could I be torturing you when all I've done is discussing matters about your friend?"

"And punch me!" he fought back. She poked him in the nose.

"That you deserved."

"Hmph." He turned his head away selfishly like a child.

She smiled down at him and giggled.

"What's so funny?" he asked, annoyed.

"Come on now," she offered him her hand, "We need to set you up for the night now or we won't get any sleep." He was shocked by her sudden offer, but looked up at her with a look of both wonder and 'toughness'.

"Where's Chichiri staying?"

"He will be with Jem tonight, since he might wipe out after the blood oath. They will perform it in her hut after she cleans up a bit. She's incredibly messy."

"…And me?" the 'toughness' was gone.

"You'll be staying with me of course." She made it sound as it was truly so obvious.

"Wha-?"

"Come now," she edged her hand forward slightly, "let's head in."

"…Sure." He said softly. Taking her hand, he thought he saw sparkles appear around them. She helped him up with her strong grip and dusted off his hair for him. After he felt his pants were free of dirt, he looked at her and noticed they hadn't let each other's hand go yet. They stared at each other for a moment, Tasuki unnoticeably squeezing a bit tighter, until…

"HEY, LOVERS! GET TO SLEEP!" Arashi shouted roughly before sprinting off to her hut.

Koa twitched and her aura darkened. Tasuki could tell she was getting angry, so regrettably he let go of her hand. "K…Koa?"

"I…**detest**…that…word!" she mumbled out. Tasuki chuckled lightly.

"Right…well then, uh, d-don't you think we should check on Chichiri? Y'know, to see how he's doing?"

"No need to worry. If it goes successfully, they'll both probably just wipe out. And if he dies, Jem will come running out to tell us." Koa informed.

"Yeah…that's good…" Tasuki was shaking slightly.

"Okay, so let's head in." Koa hesitated before grabbing his hand again and leading him inside her house.

Once inside, Tasuki closed the door behind them and took a seat by the window while Koa cleaned up a bit (she offered and refused help). He looked out at Jem's hut and was very worried about Chichiri. He knew he'd be fine, really he did, but all of Koa's talk about his head being cut off and him dieing wasn't sitting well with him.

'_What has Chichiri got himself into this time?_' he thought to himself.

"Nothing too strenuous on his life," Koa answered, causing the man in the hut to whip around to face her, "if his blood can par."

"Uh…oh, yeah. I forgot about the benefits of this blood oath thingy. But hey, if you can hear me, how come I can't hear your thoughts?"

"Because," she began her answer as she tossed up the blanket for his bed one more time, "I've been using blood oaths for years with my sisters. I've learned how to block my thoughts from entering your head."

"WHAT? HEY! HEY! HEY! THAT'S NOT FAIR!" he screamed with a whine, shaking his fist in chibi form. She giggled a bit.

"Go to sleep, Tas-bi," she teased him with the nickname she had made on the spot, pointing to the bed she had made for him, which was a two step walk away from hers, "You need rest so you can head back safely tomorrow."

"Hmph." He replied stubbornly, but did as she instructed. She leapt over his hand-made futon and landed gracefully on her mattress, which was about two feet off the ground. After settling in his bed for the night, Tasuki looked up at Koa, watching her as she made herself comfy, he noticed in a very similar manor to his own.

"Hey, Koa?" he called to her after a few moments of silence.

"Hmm?" she answered him with a sigh.

"How come you won't let me hear what you're thinking?"

She paused before responding.

"…I feel that…you shouldn't be burdened with my over-sentimental worries."

"What worries are you talking about?"

"Nothing, I always work myself up over nothing and get everyone else worried. I'm not sure, but I think I'm the only one to learn this tactic so I can keep to myself."

"Don't you trust your friends?" he asked in a soft voice.

"Of course, like sisters." She replied truthfully.

"Don't you trust me?" his tone softened even more so.

Once again, she paused before answering.

"Definitely not at first," she responded truthfully, so he didn't get too worked up, "but now, after getting to know Chichiri and you even more, seeing what kinds of family you have, I can safely say I am beginning to."

"Family? No, he's just my friend. And what do you mean beginning to?"

She laughed in a sleepy voice, "You worry over nothing. You should be happy that you have friends who can be called family to you. And you don't need to trouble yourself over what I just said. It's another small trifle for me."

"Fine." He mumbled sleepily himself before rolling onto his side to face away from her.

He heard her sigh.

'_But I'm glad I have someone like Tas-bi to worry about me. It makes me so glad I met him._'

He silently gasped, then relaxed moments later.

'_I wonder I was supposed to hear that…_' he let that hang.

He was so tired by then, he didn't notice the small smile on his face. Neither did she.

!oo! _In Jem's hut…_ !oo!

"There! You…did it." Jem congratulated, gaining her air back slightly. It had been awhile since she had preformed a blood oath and it's not that she forgot how, it's just she was nervous around a man she barely could says he knew and lost a little more blood then she was suppose to. She became frantic and ran around for cloth, when Chichiri ripped the corner of his tunic and wrapped around his wrist for her. They rested for a tiny bit of time before continuing their lives.

"Yeah, and it wasn't as bad as I thought, y'know?"

"Hey, how come you always say 'y'know'?"

"I don't know, y'know? It's just something I started saying and never was able to stop, y'know."

"Well, I think it's cool!" she said truthfully with a bubbly smile only a water elemental could give.

"Thanks!" he enjoyed her compliment.

"Sure, it may get annoying from time to time,"

"…Oh…" he sweat-dropped, now kind of nervous again.

"But I like it! It's like a trademark thing for you! Wish I had something like that."

"But you do: you have randomness!"

"YEAH!" they laughed together.

"Well, I have to say, I like your laugh Miss Jem," he complimented, matching her kind comment. She looked startled and, though would deny it, blushed slightly, "It's so bubbly, so carefree. Like you, like water itself."

"…Th-thank you." She was amazed by his words. No one, not even one of her sisters, had ever commented on her like that. Maybe because they always found her crazy energetic and silly personality troublesome on its own.

"(yawn) Well, I think I'm gonna hit the hay now, y'know?"

"Oh, right. Well, good night Chichiri. I'll see you tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Just one last question: how old are you?" he wondered.

"I'm seventeen." She answered, though curious as to why he would ask.

"Hmm…ten years younger than me, y'know."

"Oh, wow. That's cool." She acted mystified by the news, but more shocked to find out this hip youngster was almost in his thirties!

"That means that when I was already a decade old and starting my magic training, you were just being born."

"Oh…yeah, that sounds kind of weird doesn't it? But isn't even weirder that two people born that long apart would somehow one day meet and perform such a sacred ritual as a blood oath?"

"Uh…yeah…" he answered more calmly.

"Oh, sorry, you probably want to sleep, don't you? Well then, good night."

"Sleep tight." He added.

"Make sure Koa's bed-bugs don't get you tonight."

"WHAT?" he jumped up, searching his 'bed'.

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding! It's a little thing we made up as our good night blessing."

"Oh…it's more like a curse to me, y'know! That almost gave me a heart attack, y'know."

She giggled, "Sorry."

"Phew, as long as that won't happen, I'm fine, y'know."

"Good. Now can we finally get some rest?"

"Good idea!" 

And in mere milliseconds, they were both out like lights.

!oo! _The next morning…_ !oo!

Arashi rested on the roof of her hut as she watched the sun rise. She awoke early like that every morning, as if restless, never needing sleep. Her element really suited her, as everyone said: she was always alive and ready for fun, though she appeared rough. She was, as they had nicknamed her, 'The Gently Twister'. She may come off as rude and mean, but she only did so for Koa and her family.

Even though she was older then the Earth elemental, she respected her opinion and listened to her when she gave instructions or life lessons to help Mikomi grow up properly. She always found it amazing how a girl who had gone through more than all the others combined could be so gentle toward her friends. She knew that Koa relied on them very much and Arashi relied on her just the same.

Without them, Arashi would be lost. Just as the wind, she had no real direction. She was free-flowing and pathless as her gifted element. She never thought of needing a 'guiding way' in life, she went, did and said what she felt in her heart was right. But without this village to ground her, she knew she would end up like Enzeru, and breaking Koa's heart.

She thought of the green battle suit-wearing girl as she felt a sudden breeze wash over her peachy skin. Everything right now was focusing around her a silently putting pressure on her. Arashi found this as unfair, and felt guilty, since she never would've brought '_Tasuki_', she thought with annoyance, here if not for her and Jem's clumsy screw-up. Hey, those two were klutz; they admitted it time and time again. But it wasn't so funny when Koa resorted to a sacred tradition and, if in the original clan, would be beaten and abandoned for committing such a sin.

The blonde sighed and ran a hand through her hair, then jerked in the direction she heard footsteps, only to find the Fire elemental yawning and stretching her arms over her head.

"G'morning." Enzeru mumbled in a froggy voice. Arashi sighed and replied, remembering she was the only morning person in the village.

"You still got that habit of yours?" Enzeru questioned, meaning the 'morning watch' she always did.

"Yeah, something I can't shake." She answered truthfully and returned her gaze to the golden orb rising in the beautifully lit morning dome.

"Heh, I can relate," that statement caused Arashi to divert her attention again, "Mind if I join ya?"

"Be my guest." Arashi offered, but made no effort to move. Enzeru just jumped up and sat on her other side, which did have such a great view of the sun as her friend's position. She sighed again.

"You seem to be doing that a lot lately," Arashi said emotionlessly, not turning her gaze from her reason of being up that morning, "Something troubling you?"

"Well, what do you know about those two?" the fire girl asked as she used her slender fingers to place some messy locks behind her ears.

"Not much," she replied with a small elegant shrug, "just that I don't like them."

"Oh?" she seemed to find this amusing, "Why not?"

"For the same reasons as you," now her attention returned to her friend, brown clashing with amber, "Because I don't know them. So I don't trust them"

"Yeah, I agree. But, honestly, is that a reason to just hate them? I mean, Koa seems to-"

"Can you not talk about her right now?" Arashi looked both saddened and angry. Enzeru understood.

"I'm just saying she was able to accept these two so easily, yet she was the one always on guard; always protecting us. She even got Tsume' (**A/N:** Tsumeato, the bear in the first chapter who swatted at Tasuki's nicely shaped ass ;D That is what Enzeru calls him, since she doesn't approve of his help.) in on helping our little cause here. Was that really necessary?"

"If even with his help, we acquired two new _friends_, then I'd say so, and more." Arashi pointed out.

"Touché," she sighed again, "So, what can you tell me?"

"Well," she began while a calming morning breeze swirled in their hair, "I know they are of the Suzaku."

"**Suzaku**?...Hmm…uh, why does that sound familiar?" she lost her seriousness as she scratched the back of her head.

Arashi sweat-dropped, visibly annoyed by her lack of remembrance of one of their enemies most powerful weapons. "Konan's celestial guardian and warriors hold that title."

"Oh, right! Now I remember. Hmm…this is something to consider…"

"What are you scheming now, Enzeru-_chan_?" Arashi knew something was wrong with the look on her face.

"I'm just thinking-"

"This definitely a turning point."

"Aw, shut it. I'm just _saying_, we've got two out of the remaining six on our side right?"

"Yeah…" she answered slowly.

"Well, isn't the emperor one of the warriors?"

Arashi's eyes went wide. "Enzeru," the suffix was lost again, "no…"

"Well, it was nice chatting with ya, Arashi." She leapt off the hut roof.

"Enzeru!" she growled dangerously.

"I'm just gonna go for a stroll. Bye!" and in seconds she was gone.

Arashi gasped, took a few moments to calm down, ran into the middle of the circle and yelled.

"**EVERYONE! ENZERU'S HEADING OFF TO KONAN TO SEDUCE THE EMPEROR!**"

Immediately, everyone was outside.

"WHAT?"

"You heard me."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU GO AFTER HER?" Jem shouted.

"Because she wouldn't listen to me when I told her not to, so I need reinforcements." She answered.

"LET'S GO!" Koa shouted and all the elementals were off.

Tasuki and Chichiri were left in the dust.

"…Hey, WAIT FOR US!"

!oo! _Konan Palace…_ !oo!

"This is truly bothersome. I wonder where Tasuki and Chichiri went. I haven't sent them well for two days. They've been so mysterious." The Emperor of Konan, Hotohori, wondered aloud to her Imperial Envoy.

"Do not worry yourself majesty," his faithful Envoy replied, "I'm sure they're fine. Maybe they went to Mt. Reikaku to visit Master Tasuki's old friends."

"Hmm…that seems logical. But I know Tasuki, and he definitely is not."

"Heh, you could say that again." The two heard a third voice join in their conversation. They turned to face the door to see the morning light outlining a female figure in the palace's doorway.

"Wh-who are you?"

!oo! _Close to Konan…_ !oo!

"Arashi! Can't you just blow us there or something?" Mikomi asked, getting tired of leaping tree to tree, since that wasn't her specialty.

"If I did, I would blow down innocent people and their work stands." She informed the youngest.

"Oh man…" she whined, hating the feeling of her sore feet.

"Less talking, more running!" Jem and Koa said together and sped up.

The other two sighed and did their best to keep up.

!oo! _Konan Palace…_ !oo!

"Oh, no one that special." Enzeru said in a seductress' voice as she walked down the aisle of the palace hall.

"What is it you are doing here? I don't recall having met you before." Hotohori stated his state of recollection, but had a feeling inside that she definitely was not a stranger.

"I'm someone new and someone old." She held her tone as the shadowing around her disappeared and revealed her full figure to him.

!oo! _Outside the Konan Palace…_ !oo!

"Hey, you! Stop right-ACK!" the general could no longer continue his sentence as Arashi stepped on his face.

"Like I need any lip from you." She grumbled and used his face as a push-off to continue her way inside.

The rest of the army just stared at the pitiful sight of their general and decided to leave the four ladies alone, letting them make their way up the stairs.

!oo! _Inside the Konan Palace…_ !oo!

"What do you mean?" Hotohori questioned, now thoroughly confused.

"You want to know? Real bad?" she teased.

"I-I'd like to understand, yes." He answered, very shaken by her appearance.

She smiled and suddenly held a strange glint in her eyes, "Okay." She said restlessly and charged!

!oo! _At the doors of the Konan Palace…_ !oo!

"Hey, Enzeru!" Jem called out to her friend. With no response, they burst into the hall, knowing she's most likely be in there.

But what they found froze them to the spot, losing all mental function.

"Oh, hey guys!" Enzeru cheered from her happy place.

No one else dared to move until Tasuki and Chichiri arrived almost five minutes later.

"Finally! We're her-er-e-EY! What's she doing to the Emperor?" Tasuki shouted in shock at the sight the freaky fire elemental latched onto their Emperor, her arms around his waist and head on his chest.


	6. Trouble At The Palace And ANOTHER two?

Fushigi Yuugi:

_**Fushigi Yuugi:**_

**Life As It Is**

Every being within the vicinity of the palace grand hall was frozen in place due to shock and incomprehension. No one knew how to address the situation, especially the Emperor. He slowly dropped his gaze to the girl who was 'glomping' him and looked extremely uneasy. No one else dared to make a motion until they heard a scream.

"ARG! I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" Arashi gained everyone's focus with her confidence and anger to break the silence, "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS! IT'S JUST NOT FAIR!" And the blonde exited the palace in one strong leap, heading to who knows where.

"Arashi…" Mikomi attempted to call out to her, but knew it was futile. Dropping her hand, she made a small moaning sound. She wanted to, in her own way, scold Arashi for shouting like that, especially in the presence of the Emperor. But she was the only one who could voice three out of the five elementals, and their two friends', thoughts. Koa obviously had gone blank and the Emperor with his Envoy had no clue what was going on. But the two other celestial warriors of the scene along with Water and Wood all wanted to freak out in the same manor.

Once again, Enzeru's actions back lashed onto the village and destroyed Koa's efforts.

Chichiri and Tasuki looked at each other and realized it was all up to them now. With one glance at Koa, Tasuki cleared his throat loudly and grumbled, "Enzeru, what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm just saying hello to the Emperor of Konan. We are using his land, after all."

"Enzeru!" Jem shouted, suddenly finding her voice. She made a fist and looked like a cross between fear and anger.

"You are? Then how come I have never heard of your people? I've never seen anyone bear markings such as yours." Hotohori inquired toward their tattoos of a dewdrop, a flame, a twister, a rose and a leaf.

"Oh, that's because—"

"Miss Enzeru, please!" Chichiri was on the borderline of his happy-go-lucky tone and his serious one, which made him remember he left his mask back at Koa's place.

"What? I think he has a right to know, don't you Koa? I mean, we are using his land to survive."

"Survive against what?" Hotohori wondered.

"First tell me your name, handsome." Enzeru used her seductress tone again.

"I am Emperor Seihei, or Hotohori of the Suzaku se—six."

"I'm Enzeru Faita-Kaji of the Elemental family. Over there, we have Jem Faita-Mizu, Mikomi Faita-Ki, the one who ran out was Arashi Faita-Kaze and last but not least, the one who was the key to bringing us all together, Koa Faita-Chi. Say hi, guys!" she had said all of that with such happiness, you could tell she didn't feel guilty at all.

Tasuki and Chichiri gasped and regarded how Koa still refused to move from the spot they had found her in when they first arrived.

"Your Majesty," Chichiri piped up in the voice he normally used when he was without his mask, "If you would please take a seat, Tasuki and I would like to explain the situation to you, y'know."

"The situation?" Hotohori became slightly alarmed.

"It's nothing too serious, y'know. We would just like it if you heard what was going on from us and not from her, y'know." Chichiri held no anger or spite in his voice, but it was hinted in his eyes.

"Very well, I shall listen to your tale. But first…um, Miss Faita-Kaji, was it?"

"Please, call me Enzeru."

"E-Enzeru, would you mind releasing me?"

"Yeah, I would actually." She smiled at him like a cute little kitten. He laughed shakily.

"Enzeru, let him go." Jem stated with a slight whine.

"No." was her flat statement.

"Enzeru…" Chichiri let his sentence hang in the air with a warning. Enzeru made a face, but finally let go.

"Good, now Emperor, please take a seat and--"

"—Chichiri and I will tell you the story, Emperor." Jem took a step forward.

"Huh? But I'm the one who found the village first!" Tasuki shouted, then felt Chichiri's hand on his shoulder.

"Jem's right; I think you should get Miss Koa home, maybe take Miss Mikomi with you, y'know. She doesn't seem to be handling this well and might go into shock if we don't do something soon, y'know?"

Tasuki tossed his gaze over to the Earth Elemental and felt sympathy strike his heart. Nodding without looking at the monk, Tasuki walked over to Koa very slowly.

"Now," Jem began, "Where should we begin?"

"Let's start with when Tasuki came to your village, y'know." Chichiri suggested.

"Good idea…."

"Koa?" Tasuki whispered to the woman in front of him. She still refused to budge. He lifted his hand to grab onto her shoulder, but decided against it, not wanting to scare her. Then, he came up with an idea.

'_Koa,_' he saw her jump slightly when he called to her mind. He waited for her to acknowledge his presence before continuing, '_do you wanna go outside or something? Maybe you should go home and get some rest._'

'_N-No…_' was all she said, she gave no reason why.

'_Koa, I don't think you're doing too well right now. You should get out of here, it's obviously really bothering you._'

'_No…i-if Enzeru thinks this is best, then so be it. I can put up with…I mean I can understand what she wants. It's alright. I…_'

'_Koa, don't try to force yourself._'

"I'm NOT!" she whipped around to face him, looking utterly distressed and trying to appear angered by him. He saw right through her, but it didn't terminate his shock. Then, Koa hissed and held onto her chest. It was obvious she had lied and was now receiving the Blood Oath's affect.

"Koa, I'm taking you outside right now," He refused to shout like she had and continued to remain calm, even though he was worried, "I don't want to hear another word about it! Besides, we need to find Arashi. Mikomi, will you be okay here or do you want to come with us?"

"Um…I, uh, want to help find Arashi, but…um, I think she might be…around here…but I'm just guessing!"

"Sure Mikomi, you look around the grounds. Just tell all the guards you see that you're a friend of Tasuki and they'll let you through with no problems, okay? I'm just gonna take Koa back to the village. Be sure to meet up with Jem when she's done talking to the Emperor, okay? She'll take you home."

"Okay!" she smiled so childishly, as if she was obeying an older sibling. Then she quickly jogged off out the door and was out of sight.

Tasuki smiled at her as she skipped away, then returned his attention to the girl's 'mother'. She, too, was smiling while watching Mikomi depart from the grand hall. He read her eyes so perfectly then, and felt as if her feelings became apart of him. She tried to uphold an exterior of happiness to see the wood elemental so carefree, but underneath, there was a thick layer of fear. Obviously, she was scared to think what Hotohori would do to there family, that was understandable. What Tasuki couldn't understand was why he did not see resentment in her eyes.

Before, he could clearly remember her fuming about Enzeru's previous actions, and now, after pulling off the biggest and most troublesome stunt of all, she didn't seem angry in the slightest. Not sure how he was supposed to interpret that, he gently grasped her hand, which brought her back to reality, and led her out the door.

!!

"Ugh, that damned-to-hell fiery pain in the ASS!" Arashi hollered to the sky, causing the birds in the air to flock around her in concern. One brave little bird landed on her shoulder and whistled to her.

"Well, as you can guess Enzeru's back!...She just walked into the Konan palace and hugged the life out of the Emperor!...I know! And Koa was there!...Yes way. It's like Enzeru doesn't care about Koa at all, even though Koa's doing her best to impress her and trying to be her friend. It bugs me so much how blind she is!...Oh I know, but—huh?" Arashi then heard the sound of quick 'tap-tap's coming closer. Not quite sure what it was, she scanned the air for a hiding spot, then jumped up into the closest tree.

She listened intently as the sound became louder and louder, as much as a 'tap-tap' noise could. Her eyes glowered, trying to tighten her line of view. Her pupils shrunk down to the size of a bird's, trying to locate her target. Someone, probably one of the guards or her sisters, was after her. If it was a sister, she'd come down after a small fight. If it was a guard, she'd come down immediately…then kick his sorry ass for freaking her out like that!

But oh no, 'twas not a guard nor sister who was making the unusual noise.

"MEOW!"

"Ahh! …Ugh, you…dumb cat! What the hell was that for?!" she asked as she let the bird fly off so she could tend to the furry troublemaker. Lifting one leg to rest her foot on the bark, Arashi resisted the urge to both pet and strangle Mr. Kitty, "What do you want?"

"Meow?" The kitty known as Tama tilted his head, sounding confused.

"Why did you come up here to--"

"TAMA!"

"AHH!" Arashi squealed in fright as jumped. Due to the size of the branch compared to her bottom and body in general, her balance lost to gravity and she fell backwards out of the tree. She attempted to turn her body midair, so as to land on her feet, but something caught her no more then a moment after she started her descent. And it was not comfortable, it felt more like a million sharp pricks jabbing her side.

"OWW-AH! What the HELL?!" she hollered as she jumped down onto her feet and rubbed her side energetically. After quickly glancing at the 'injury', she glared upwards to see what had attacked her so unexpectedly. But to her surprise, it was not a 'what', but a 'who'.

"Oh, I apologize Miss. Are you--"

"What on Earth is WRONG with YOU?" she shouted at him angrily.

Confused and stunned, the tall man said nothing for a while, then arched one of his two brows, "I beg your pardon?"

"You need to warn people when you're underneath them while they're in a tree. And, hey, if they're falling, trying catching them WITH YOU ARMS! NOT YOUR SHARP PINEAPPLE HAIR!" Arashi bellowed right in his face and stomped off angrily, planning to exit the place she had labelled the 'vortex to hell' and go home.

A frozen Mitsukake could only watch, "…What's a pineapple?"

With Mikomi…

Walking around the halls made her feel so special. She had never been to a palace before; it made her feel like an honoured guest just to wander freely. To think people like Chichiri or _Tasuki_ got to live in such a place made her feel a small spark of envy inside. The style of design could give her reason enough to sit at the front steps and stare at the building all day. It was so interesting to see a world other then their own, a bigger, and more prosperous world. It was truly a sight to behold.

She skipped up and down the pathways around the structure cheerfully, gasping at every new figure she laid eyes on. The arches in doorways, the enormous pillars, and tiles on the roof were beyond fascinating to Mikomi's small heart. As she stepped back to gawk at the statue she caught from the corner of her eye, her foot made a small splash behind her. She squeaked in fear, twirled around and tossed her head from side to side. It wasn't until her foot became colder that the idea to look down dawned on her. As she dropped her stare, she found that she has stepped into a koi pond on the property. Smiling, she could see the strange technicolor fish slithering through the water. '_I wonder if Jem can feel these little guys sometimes?...Ew._' She giggled at the thought.

Tucking her hands under her knees, she knelt down at the pond's side and watched with awe-stricken eyes. Inhaling gently, she giggled to herself yet again as she pondered all that had happened in the last two days. Though Koa was hurting, she couldn't say she was too displeased with informing the Konan Emperor of their presence. She wouldn't turn around and suddenly thank her Fire sister, but she was in such a blissful state, she couldn't find the energy to be angry at that point in time.

Suddenly, it came to her attention that other animals were flocking to her. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of squirrels sitting at her side. It seemed as though this Palace was a paradise through her eyes.

Taking a moment to scan her surroundings, she made sure no human was within hearing distance. Once she was sure, she whistled a small tune and turned to the small crowd of forest friends. "Who wants to hear a song?" She asked while she brought her knees to her chest. Taking comfort in the animals' chirping, Mikomi piped up and sang the lullaby Koa had created for her,

"Breezes and thunder  
Snowstorms and rain  
Life in our circle,  
Links in a chain

Fire to scorn you  
Ice that will freeze  
Sunrise to Nightfall  
Light glisten on leaves

The Earth turns  
Life goes on  
From sadness to sorrow  
Listen to my so—"

The birds nearby suddenly scattered. Jumping up, Mikomi instantly was on guard. While her eyes wandered over the space, she heard a cry of pain to her left. As she turned to look, she laid eyes on a small boy sprawled out a patch of grass, with a small scrape on his knee. Instinctively, she ran over to him and pulled out her antidote powder. Dabbing her fingers against the green powder, she reached out to cleanse the wound. Half way to her destination, the boy opened her eyes and she froze. '_Wait…h-he heard me sing…m-my sister's song?_'

In seconds, she was gone.

With Tasuki & Koa…

She walked so shakily, he continued to flinch at each step she took. Her eyes looked lifeless, and with her mind so clustered, even with her usual barrier down, he couldn't comprehend what was troubling her the most. The strong urge to growl arose within him, as he felt useless next to a female again. Shaking his head, he warded away any thoughts about Miaka, and turned to face Koa, ready to attempt to make her smile. Facing her, he opened his mouth to speak, but lowered his upper lip at the sight of her expression. Koa looked to be frightened, and had halted her steps. He was so close to asking her what was wrong, until he heard to voices.

"Koa! It's been a while!"

"Hey Koa, fancy meeting you here."

Koa gasped, "…Sei'ki…and Hyou?"

'_Great. More crazy 'family members' to bother us?_' was all Tasuki could think.


	7. Hinted Secrets, and Disturbence at Home

Fushigi Yuugi:

_**Fushigi Yuugi:**_

**Life As It Is**

"I see. That _is_ quite the situation." Emperor Seihei commented from his now relaxed pose on his throne.

"So you see, Your Majesty," Chichiri concluded, "We mustn't let people know of their village, you know. It could cause a huge disturbance and frighten the public, you know."

"I agree." Slowly, Hotohori's eyes traveled to meet those of the Water bearer. He could tell just by the shade of her eyes that what she had told him was the truth; they were the same blue hue as the sea. They also gave off the feeling of tranquility when she stared into him.

Fearful, he also looked to the girl of Fire. Jem had held her by the ear at her side ever since the two blue-haired people had begun to explain the Elementals scenario. She wiggled almost like Tasuki would have, which was a bit calming. But still, she held that glint of someone who was trying to 'get something'. He sweat-dropped and turned back to his quieter guest.

"What is it that you would like me to do for your people? I can have my attendants assist you immediately." Said attendants had been asked to leave for the duration of the meeting, but Hotohori was willing to call them in, should it mean aiding the cause of these young ladies.

"We don't want anything, really," Jem shrugged and sighed, seeing that she could relax a bit, now that the serious portion of the conversation was over, "We just need you to keep us a secret."

"But surely you do not expect me to ignore an entire village of young ladies in the middle of the forest." Hotohori stated.

"Sire, if I may?" Chichiri's serious voice called. The sound made Jem's ears ring.

"What is it, Chichiri?"

"I think it would be wise if Tasuki and I continue to make periodic trips to the village. Afterwards, once we consult with Miss Koa, perhaps we can have each of the other Suzaku members visit as well. It would probably be most beneficial if Mitsukake was next, seeing as how they don't have proper medical care there, you know?"

"HEY, WAIT! I'm the leader there!" Enzeru whined and thrashed wildly. She went unnoticed for the time being, seeing as how Hotohori's nerves were still wrecked.

"That sounds fine to me. But why must we ask 'Miss Koa'?"

"She is the leader and main care taker of the village. She is the one who walked out with Tasuki, in the green suit."

"HELLO!"

"Oh, I see. Very good. Ah, Jem, was it?"

"Yes, your majesty?" She suddenly felt like a spy, bowing to the Emperor and dealing in secrets. She responded proudly, a firm and dedicated look on her face.

"Will you speak to your sister Koa about the matter?"

"Yes, sire. I will once I return." '_This is so cool!_'

"Alright, I think we are finished for today. Chichiri, I assume you will be returning to the village for the night?"

"Why not? I like it there, you know. And I figure, the more Miss Koa can learn to trust us, so will the other girls, and then Mitsukake will be able to join us sooner, you know?"

"Perfect. Again, if you ladies need anything, please do not hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, your majesty." She bowed once she rose to her feet. But then, as she bowed, her heart constricted. Her breath was cut short, as her heart had affected her entire body. '_What…what's this?_' She knew that fearing the random attack would only add complications, but how could she not fear such a strong, sharp pain in her chest?

"Jem? What's wrong?" She heard a child-like voice in the back of her ears slowly becoming louder. Her hand muscles twitched, before her arms fell limply before her. Her back muscles also froze, making it impossible for her to stand upright. In accordance, her jaw also locked up. '_What's…happening to me?!_' She was becoming more and more frightened.

Though a few seconds later, her body shot upwards. She was okay again, whatever 'okay' meant exactly. Blinking with surprise, she looked up at the ceiling and adored it.

"Um…Jem?" The blue haired monk tried again. He watched her eyes drift in and out, her color fading and returning. Her sudden intake of breath had worried him more so then he would have guessed.

"Yeah…I'm fine…now…" She whispered her last part as she rose her hands to her eyes and clenched them slowly, making sure the feeling had returned completely. But past her fingers, she saw Enzeru at the Emperor's side again.

"AH! ENZERU!"

"Hoto-kun, let's plaaaaaaay!"

"Chi-Chichiri!"

"I'm on it, sire!"

_!oxo! At the village… !oxo!_

The four current residents in the village sat quietly inside Koa's hut. The men sat across from each other, as did the women. The only one of the foursome who seemed to show any emotion was the only one without elemental powers.

"…So, how is everyone?" Seiteki asked shyly. It took Koa a moment to reply. She tossed her hair over her shoulder as she waited.

"We are all well. Enzeru returned recently, and is in good health. We had a minor setback a few days ago, but found some unexpected help…"

"We can see that," Hyou said with a bit of a smug attitude. He waved to the Suzaku warrior with such aloofness, "Hey there, mind telling us nobodies your name?"

"Normally, you introduce yourself _**before**_ asking for someone else's name." Tasuki glared fiercely.

"Koa already said our names. Back when we met on the trail, remember?"

Growling substituted a response.

"His name is Tasuki. He is of the Suzaku seven." The Earth mistress answered with a sigh.

"KOA!"

"Oh, enough. There's no secrets to be kept anymore." Koa hissed soundly while her eyes glared deeply into his, then she turned back to Seiteki with a small. She sounded as if she could have used a drink, but Tasuki wondered if she had even ever heard of drinking alcohol.

"Ah, Tasuki. The 'Mountain'-symbol one."

Everyone was shocked to hear this come from the winter man.

"How did you know that?" Tasuki grilled.

"I know my Universe of the Four Gods knowledge." Hyou smirked proudly.

"…Really?" Seiteki asked.

"Why is she surprised?!" Tasuki whelped and pointed.

"It's important to know your enemies inside out." His reasoning made the 'Mountain'-symbol bearer even more cautious about his presence.

"No, they aren't our enemies. They have not done anything wro—"

"Koa, we saw you leave the palace. But were you there long enough to hear what…" Seiteki looked to Hyou for the name she needed.

"Hotohori, or Seihei."

"Right! So were you there long enough to hear what Emperor Hotohori had to say about your little family here?" It was hard to tell if she was being kind, or envious.

"…No."

"Right. So I think you should considered coming back home now."

"What?" Koa and Tasuki shouted, though with different intentions in mind.

"Your father has agreed to let you all back into the family. That's why we've come here."

'_There's…even more?! What, are these people like rabbits or something?_'

'_TASUKI__**!**_' A furious female voice rang in his ears. Shaking, he smiled nervously at the one whom he had a telepathic relation with.

"Now, there is a catch," Hyou waved a finger, "_You_ will have to be separated from the others for a while. _Daddy_ wants to run some tests on you, to make sure." He ended his sentence, but made it sound as if the last word was still hanging, open for more explanation. As if he was going to give any.

"For how long?"

"Six months." Seiteki said, her eye brows tilted upward sympathetically.

"Th-That's unheard of! I have to take care o—"

"You won't have to anymore." Hyou declared.

Time seemed to stop. A life she only imagined was being offered to her. A world where Enzeru wasn't an issue any longer. One where she only had to wait out six months through work for her father, and she would have the life she had always wanted. The pain she had felt for the last half an hour seemed to be melting away.

'_Don't do it, Koa._' Growled a voice. Catching the sight of the Suzaku in the room, she almost gasped. He looked so mature and manly, in his position against the wall. His eyes held such strength and wisdom that one would assume was beyond him. Still, he was asking a lot of her.

'_Why do you think I will listen to you?_'

'_You just added me and Chichiri to your group of friends, right? If you leave, what will happen to those Blood Oaths we made? And after all the trouble we all went through the last couple of days too. If you left your family in the first place, why would you wanna go back now?_'

Though he was unaware of what his last comment meant, he did make some important points. She decided that if Hyou couldn't clear the air, she would…

"What will happen to the Blood Oaths Jem and I made with the two from Suzaku?"

"You…performed Blood Oaths…with two of them?! And they lived?! WOW!" Seiteki was instantly fascinated by the orange-haired man, and began staring at him with wonder in her eyes. Tasuki was doing his best not to let it get under his skin.

"We'd have to kill them, of course."

Again, the two females and Tasuki stared fiercely at the silver-toned man.

"…Wh-What?" Koa was flabbergasted.

"Heh. What makes you think you could?" Instantly, Tasuki bore his fangs and had his diamond fan drawn.

"Hey, Hyou," Seiteki whined, "Can't we just say that we never knew about this?"

"No, Sei'ki. We would be disowned for it."

"Don't talk as if you could kill me when you don't anything about me!"

"But didn't I just say, moments ago, that I know all about the Universe of the Four Gods?"

"…Shut up and fight me!" Tasuki whined, then leapt over the table, toward the suave and aloof man.

"ENOUGH!" Tasuki tried to freeze, knowing who's call that was, but ended up on his arse. Again, he was whining as he turned to face her, but backed down when he saw her angry eyes, "I will NOT have you two fighting in my house, or in my village! Hyou, Seiteki, tell Father that I will not return to that village to suit his fancy, and neither will my sisters! We will continue living hear, until I decide otherwise, since that was my original task! Now kindly, will the two of you leave?"

"…K-Koa—" Never had she called her Seiteki before.

"Out!" This time, the Earthen maiden pointed to the door without as much as batting an eyelash at them.

"Alright, no need to be so hostile. See ya later sis." Hyou walked briskly to his green eyed sister and kissed her on the cheek. Tasuki almost leapt out of his skin.

Seiteki made a small 'oh' noise, then jumped up to follow her brother. She bowed out the door, then ran only three steps outside before bumping into his back.

"It really is peaceful here, isn't it?" He whispered soothingly. After twitching her nose, she looked up at the back of his head and smiled. Then, she walked to his side and leaned on his shoulder.

"Mmhmm. I wish we had been given these orders."

"Yeah, but they were banished because their acceptance is gonna be harder then ours. By ten fold, I bet."

"Yeah…I don't even want to imagine that…" Sadly, Seiteki gripped onto Hyou sleeve. That was when he knew it was time to go.

"Alright! I wanted to see Enzeru again before leaving, but I guess I can wait around for next time. Let's go, Sei'k—"

"Um, actually," the Thundress piped up, "I think I am going to stay here."

Hyou shot her a cool, surprised expression, "Really now?"

"Yeah. I think I'll stay and watch over them. Sort of like surveillance. If anything strange starts happening, I'll let you know, okay?"

"…Alright, fine. But if you see Enzeru, tell her to head over to the Main Point, okay?" The man who controlled ice patted her on the head gently, and somewhat stroked her hair.

"Okay, I will. Now stop treating me like a kid and go." It was clear she was fighting a giggle by covering it with a frown.

Taking one last chance to show his sister his care for her, Hyou leapt off and headed home. Seiteki watched him fly past the tree tops, then waited until he was out of sight to sigh. With a sad look on her face, she headed into the hut she was sure to be Arashi's.

_!oxo! Back in Koa's Hut…!oxo!_

"…Koa…"

"What?" She barked harshly. By now, she was sitting on her bed with her hands squeezing her knee caps quite painfully.

"…I wanted…to say thanks…for not…going anywhere."

"Oh, it wasn't just for you, Tasuki. Or Chichiri. I would put the entire Main Point at risk if we suddenly moved there. I would lose my sisters for six months, and all my forest friends. I already have a hard enough time, I don't need to be alone for six months too. And I don't even know when my time is coming, so I am on wits-end about my own physical status too!"

"Your," –a flashback occurred, '_…it…it burns! Tasuki, it burns!...I can't…live…onward…_'— "time? What does that mean, Koa?" His voice was filled with fright and dominance. He could tell she realized she had said something more then she should have by the tone of his voice, and instantly began locking herself inside.

"No, it's not important—"

"Koa, you better tell me what that means right now." He approached her steadily, his eyes as fierce as a mountain lion hunting. Her stress and feelings began to bubble over; she couldn't take the pressure right now.

"Please! I'll tell you later, but just leave me alone for now!"

Her shrill, craking, overwhelmed voice struck a chord in Tasuki's bandit heart. With fists tightened fiercely at his side, by a quick twist of his heels, he was out the door and off into the woods. His target would be Tsumeato.

_!oxo! Back at the Konan Palace, In the Courtyard… !oxo!_

Little feet pitter-pattered like the sound of a fly; almost impossible to tell when they fell or rose. A small heart beat profusely, and if not for her good health, she would be having a heart attack. But in a powerful moment, the fast and loud sounds were terminated as the owner of them ran into something and hit the ground. Panicking, she began to scramble away.

"Hey, hey. Mikomi, it's me. Calm down," Eyes as wide as dinner plates, Mikomi looked up to see Arashi. After pausing to soak in the security of the moment, the little one almost tackled the Wind Mistress' legs with a hug, "Whoa! What happened? Mikomi? What's wrong?"

"…I hate this place now!" She sobbed into Arashi's knee.

"Oh, sweetie. Me too. I hate it too." Then, Arashi knelt down and they shared a tender moment, comforting each other over their hatred of the deemed hell hole.

"…What…are you two doing?" A confused voice asked from above. The ones on the ground looked toward the sun, and met the face of Jem. Behind her, she pulled Enzeru by the ear, again.

"We're…sympathizing." Arashi answered with a melodramatic façade. Mikomi nodded in agreement as tears ran down her cheeks like a pair of rivers.

"What's wrong?" Suddenly, the Suzaku monk popped out from behind the two females.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The crying duo wailed.

"HIS FACE MAKES ME WANNA GO HOME AND HIDE!"

"What?!"

"I DON'T LIKE THIS PLACE! PEOPLE LIKE HIM LIVE HERE!"

"HUH?!"

"Guys, knock it off!" Jem shouted, "C'mon now! Let's--…Ah, let's head home." On a wobble first step, Jem began guiding her family to their village; it was the first time she had taken control.


	8. First Acceptance and Denial

_**Fushigi Yuugi:**_

**Life As It Is**

* * *

In the dark of the night, it echoed, "AHHHHHHHHH! I-IT HURTS! HELP, SOMEBODY!" And the screaming continued, carried by a voice of sheer anguish.

Tasuki was the first one conscious. '_ 'Hurts'? KOA?!_' By meaning to check on the woman slumbering next to him, he ended up tangling himself in his sheets very gracelessly. He looked like a gigantic, dirty diaper. After ripping the fabric to smithereens, he finally was able to focus on his room-mate. She was already set with her gear, glaring at his mess on the floor. "Come on, Tasuki!" she screamed over the shrill screeching and dashed off to the door. Still wary and angry he was with her, but he followed suit nonetheless.

The entire village gathered in the central point. Though it was clearly the middle of the night, the group who were present all had their weapons at the ready and their eyes alert with fierce energy.

That is, except for Chichiri and Jem. As if that wasn't enough to prove that the scream belonged to the water bearer's hut, the monk added a cry of his own, "GUYS, QUICK! Her body's glowing over here, you know!"

The elementals eyes suddenly gleamed over with fear. In a rapid kick of their heels, they raced to their sister's hut at a speed that looked as though they were straining themselves to meet. The wooden plank of a door slammed open thanks to Arashi. Tasuki gasped the most out of the group.

Jem's body was pulsating and glimmering. She looked like a humanoid ripple, with eyes of fear and a mouth of an opera singer. Chichiri had actually taken to a seat behind a barrier, since pieces of her body - which looked like nothing more than sprays of water - were flailing around the space. They couldn't be particularly harmful, but it made sense for him to shield himself when he wasn't sure of what was flying around the room. Still, if only droplets, the water that separated from her body was actually making his barrier shake.

"Koa!" Enzeru shouted, "Was she giving off any signs?!"

"N-N-No," the Earthen Maiden stuttered, "I-I had no clue this was going to occur. And at such a time..."

"We need to at least get her away from the village."

"What?!" All but Koa stared at the Fire-Fighter, as if she had gone mad.

Enzeru simply glared back at them, "If she's not near any kind of natural flowing water, she'll havta create her own. By _becoming_ one! Arashi, can you send her to a nearby river of canal?"

"I wouldn't know where one was." Arashi answered with spite.

"Arashi, now is not the time nor place." Koa cooed, grabbing hold of her sister's arm. She more so performed the action to anchor herself from the reality of the situation.

"Well, I wouldn't! _I_ don't leave the village on a regular basis, for long extents of time."

"Then I guess my leaving comes in handy, since I know where one is. It's up by Konan--"

"NO! We aren't going to have _anything_ else to do with those people!"

"Hey! Two of them are right here!" Tasuki bellowed.

"And one's trying to help, y'know!"

"Hey, you traitor!"

"EVERYONE, PLEASE LISTEN!" Mikomi ceased the squabble. Once the focus was on her - excluding the Water Elemental, who had been wailing but gone unnoticed for the past few minutes - she continued, "There is a river closer than that one. It's up by the border pass of Konan and Kouto. It's a little risky, but Jem needs us all right. NOW!"

"...Or ya know...there's _that_ river." Enzeru scratched the back of her head, guilt written on her face.

"Then let us hurry! She needs to be reimbursed by her element soon or we might lose her."

While the Wind sister summoned her elemental connections to move her elder sister with ease, Tasuki regarded how they functioned. He never would have guessed that this was what was entailed for someone who honed an element. He never had to go through something so...disturbing to become one of the Suzaku. _Not that our journey was a piece of cake._ And hadn't Jem been one of the oldest; how come this was happening to her? Did this mean it was going to happen to everyone? _That dream I had_... Wouldn't it only burn for Enzeru, not Koa? Perhaps that was who he dreamt abou-- No, that was impossible. He hadn't known her by then, and he was so sure it was Koa's voice...

Chichiri too needed time to observe and recollect his thoughts. He had awoken to the sight of a bright light illuminating the room. He wouldn't have guessed in a million years that it was actually Jem's body! But to learn that it was indeed the radiating pulse of his room mate caused many more questions to arise – one's he so badly wanted to be answered. He wasn't stupid; he was aware that it wasn't appropriate to bring them up now. Instead, he offered protection to Tasuki, and the other sisters who couldn't help Arashi.

The group left the hut in two groups of two's and one group of three. With Mikomi as her guide, Arashi carried Jem's body on a strong lift from the wind until they made it to the river. Luckily, it wasn't a 'baby'; the trail of water was roughly the width of the village's radius. Miss Arashi was able to sigh lightheartedly when she witnessed how secluded the spot - that Mikomi had chosen – was. The animals had deserted the space by a five meter diameter, so the land seemed bare. After a quick scout, Jem was about to be placed in the river. She wasn't sure how far to place her, so Arashi began to simply drop her in with diligence, and that was when there was interference.

"Stop, y'know!" The monk broke his concentration and the shield.

"Wuh-What?" The call made Arashi panic, and lose her sliver of gentleness when holding her sister with her power. Jem's body, at the same time, began to twitch uncontrollably, which did nothing to aid the problem. As her body began to plummet, Chichiri performed a chant and caught her just as her back grazed the miniature waves of the river.

"She can't go into the water like that, y'know!"

"But she _is_ water! She'd be fine!" Arashi defended, feeling a twinge of pain at the idea of her being incompetent.

"She may be powered by water, but if you were to just put her _in_ the water while she's shaking like that, there's no way she would be able to survive, y'know! Look at her face; she doesn't look like she'd know how to use her power to help her breathe underwater!"

"He's right, Arashi!"

"Be more careful!"

"Don't be too rough with her!"

She twitched. "Alright, fine! You stay with her then! I'm going back to bed!" And with the _swish_ of a twister, Arashi was gone.

The remaining four bystanders simply watched as the blue-haired monk removed his wrap around, his mask and stabbed his staff into the ground. Just before he was about to perform a special sutra, he turned to the others and said softly, "How long will this last?

"A-About a twelve-hour time span. Possibly longer. But no less than...twelve hours." Enzeru answered.

"Alright then. You all should leave. I can promise you; you're not going to like what you see."

Immediately, Koa and Enzeru grabbed for the youngest and led her away from the tiny clearing. Once they were out of sight and ear-shot, Chichiri looked back at the girl. She looked like a fish, struggling without air. His heart ached at the sight of her distraught position. "Alright, I have a way to help you Jem," he spoke to her in a bias tone, "But don't get mad at me. I'd help you whether you did or you didn't, but I'd like us to be friends still when this is over, y'know? ..._Hooah!_"

The cloak encased her frame like a leaf being forced to dance to the tempo of a strong breeze. He never though the life of someone he cared for would be so effected by this element again. Maybe life had him spiritually bound to it; maybe that was the reason he had picked her for his Blood Oath… And so, the treatment began...

!~*~! _With Arashi..._ !~*~!

If there was one thing she could not stand, it was being told that she was useless. That was her understanding of the situation at the river; that she was about to harm her sister instead of helping her. Her fist met with the large thicket known as her wall before she finally succumbed to her feelings. '_If he hadn't stopped me, would I have..._' No, she wouldn't have! If something had happened to Jem, there were four sisters to jump in and save her... well, none of them could actually touch her, but...

When the acceptance ceremony is taking place, it is the most dangerous time to make contact with the person experiencing the change, _especially_ if you're an elemental. The power that is already inside the element's host is being amplified, or more so, restructured to match the person's body and share the connectivity with the rest of their power's sources. To mingle with an elemental while being one yourself meant having the ceremonial host's power reach out. The powers become especially greedy when tapping into the core of their source.

If it had been Koa's time, or Mikomi, the two could touch each other. The other three sisters were not so lucky. Should two elements collide at such a period of growth meant causing a catastrophic disaster. So if she had dropped Jem into the river that was wider and deeper than the terrain of their village, they would have lost her. And Arashi would have been the murderer.

Another punch to the thicket, then a kick and a body slam. A long, steady sound of rage rumpled past her lips before tears began to blur her eyes. It was ridiculous! That's all it was. She wasn't so stupid. Besides, if he hadn't said something, then Mikomi or Koa or even Enzeru would have! These Suzaku men were nothing but trouble! A burden to their lives! She would not allow another one to step into their small town, or so help him, he will lose all the air that surrounds him!

!~*~! _With the Group of Four..._ !~*~!

No one said a word as the small group made their way home. They had even taken to the trees, just to be sure that their wasn't a possibility. Unfortunately, the trip seemed shorter in comparison to the journey there, and the silence that loomed made the situation incredibly pessimistic. But then again, what was there to be positive about?

"Um," Mikomi whispered, "Tasuki?"

The three teens were surprised to hear her speak, and to someone out of the group, no less.

"Y-Yeah, squirt?" He answered gently.

"Do you think...Jem will be okay?" Her eyes pleaded, staring hopefully into his soul.

'_Uh… this is some kind of creepy._' He thought warily.

'_Tasuki,_' Koa whispered in his mind. He twitched but showed no other sign of fear; he was getting better at this, '_She's probably asking you since you're an outsider._'

'_I'm still an outsider, after being her for two nights now?!_'

'_My mistake. I should have worded that more carefully. She is asking you, since you are unfamiliar with Jem's…current condition. Since you were Jem and Arashi's doctor when you first arrived, and since you are a biased person, she's asking to your trained and yet untrained eye if you think she'll survive._'

'_SURVIVE?!_'

'_Just answer the young girl!_'

"Ah!" The shout had shaken his senses. Blinking a handful of times, he tried to regain his wits before returning his focus to her. Seeing that she hadn't lost her hopeful and still hopeless exterior, he smiled kindly and said, "I mean, yeah. I've never seen a human spring before, but I bet she'll be just a human again in, what did you guys say? Twelve hours? Yeah, just wait twelve hours."

The three girls stared, sighed, and giggled.

"Hey! What's so funny?!"

'_Thank you_.' Koa somehow thought about while she held her stomach.

"Thank you Chibi-suke!" Mikomi hugged his waist and skipped off to bed. Enzeru, still choking on her laughter, waved herself off after the youngest.

"Huh? Hey wait! Only Koa calls me that—No! NOT EVEN SHE CAN CALL ME THAT! HEY! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?! I'M TASUKI, NOT WHATEVER THE HECK YOU GUYS SAID~!"

"Oh, hush up." The laughter subsided, and the Earth maiden tugged on his ear, "You've done something nice today. Just leave it at that and go off to sleep."

"Humph." He grumbled and let her lead him back to bed. As they re-entered the hut, Koa crawled onto her cot like a new born kitten; she looked as she was ready to take on the world, but wanted a bit more time being caught up in warmth. Tasuki took to the sheets laid for him as well, but he simply sat down like an angry pup. Koa felt the leer, and waited until she was cozy before saying anything.

"Yes, Tasuki?"

"I—" – '_Oh, she's—I mean __**you're**__ not getting out of this one!_' – "—have more questions."

"Wait until tomorrow, okay?" Her voice was so…breathy. He had never seen her so…relaxed and…dare he say, she looked positively submissive!

"It's is tomorrow."

"No, it's merely dawn. Give a few more hours of rest, and then I'll—"

"Koa! I want answers! Stop ducking me!"

Their eyes met, and a fierce war raged. Suddenly, Koa prompt her head up in her hand and laid on her side, facing him, her tough exterior reinstated, "Your friend is going to have question too, correct? Even more, I'm sure. Instead of repeating myself again, I'd like to do it all at once, alright?"

She snapped like a shark at her last word. As easily as it was to tease her about her subtle innuendo, the mountain symbol-bearer dropped his head and let it slide over.

"Is this…what's going to happen to you?"

"What did I—"

"Is this what you were talking about…before we went to sleep? That's you're gonna go through something like…this?"

There was a strong pause. Every second made both of them more uneasy.

"I promise to answer all your questions in the morn. Please get some rest. You'll want to have all your energy to 'freak-out' accordingly, correct?" With that slight gesture of a joke, she dozed off. He slowly followed suit, again.

_!oxo! Just Outside… !oxo!_

She knew she had to tell Hyou. She had to! Jem's body was experiencing her acceptance; the first acceptance ceremony of the village! Hadn't she promised to tell him if anything strange started happening? This was—well, for them it was quite normal, but it wasn't the ordinary, so—strange! Her mind was screaming to call to the village. After all, not only was she supposed to answer to Hyou, she was supposed to report back to the village Elder – Koa's Father – at least two hours ago. Her neck was already on the cutting block.

Did she have what it took to risk it all?

…If she told Hyou, he would report it. And if he did? They would force the girls home, and Koa would be locked away for half of a year. During such a time, it was clear that the others were…well, for lack of a better term, Jem had started a ripple affect. Shortly after her, it would be Enzeru's turn, she was sure. It would commence in order by age, that was the only clear fact. With that being the case, to be gone from the lives of her sisters for half a year's time, she would miss Enzeru's and Arashi's acceptance ceremony. After all the…dare she say, _crap_ Koa stood up against and still had to live by, and how the others never truly met their other blood related family…

Quietly, she snuck into Arashi's futon. She would rather sleep there in silence, with some sort of comfort, than on a random rock or in a tree!

_!oxo! Sunset, Later That Day, With Chichiri… !oxo!_

He had been watching over the Water Mistress for roughly twenty hours. Hadn't he been the lucky one, that he hadn't needed to use copious amount of magic in the last year or so. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to stand for as long as he was. However, the factor of pride made it not a smidgen easier. He knew his limits; he had only three hours left inside him, or he would probably be drained…for who knows how long.

Looking at her through mask-free eyes, he could see clearly the chaos that was her body. To say she transformed to the epitome of Water was somehow not enough for him. There wasn't a real way to describe her current state to him. All he could grasp with words, was that she was…transforming…perhaps transforming into Water? He couldn't say. But somehow, he had unexplained faith. He just believed, for no reason, that it would be okay.

That is, if this procedure would end sooner rather than later.

And as if Christmas came around early, the blue-haired monk's wish was granted.

A geyser formed in the middle of the river, under her body, and soaked the bottom of his cloak as a way of breaking through his barrier. With a masculine grunt, he tried to press onward, using what minimal strength he had remaining. Somehow, the force of the unexplainable –another unknown factor – geyser seeped all of the fabric now, and began to fill the orb. He had no choice; he _had_ to release her! If he didn't…

With a grimace, he slowly edged out of his spell. Unfortunately, the water forced him to separate from his target. The act sent him flying backwards and into the trunk of a tree. His head made contact with the bark quite painfully. He figured some of his blue locks were turning red right about now.

While he adjusted his mind set, a pair of ocean-tinted eyes began to open. As consciousness sluggishly consumed her, the uplifting ray of water began to drop her into the river's current. She heard a muffled sound – something like a voice…maybe that childish one she heard before? – call to her, but it was too late; the sound only registered once she had been embraced by the river.

In three blinks, her surroundings became apparent to her. She was in…water?... How in the world… Oh no! She hadn't been able to master her under water breathing yet! She could open her eyes and see the creatures of the deep with no worry of eye damage, but breathing was always a hindrance to her. She never attempted to perfect the ability, but the again, she never expected to wake up six feet deep in a river! Frantically, she swirled and swam like an otter to the surface.

Or so she tried, until all her muscles participated in a unified spasm. The result being a frozen Jem. She couldn't swim either?! How was she gonna survive? The pressure on her lungs was getting stronger, thanks to her worry, and her mind was so clustered, she couldn't communicate with her sea creature friends! Sure, they swam around her, looking her over and what not, but she couldn't ask them to push her to the shore!

Was this really how it was gonna end? Her life was…over? Well, it would be she guessed, in three, two, one… '_Bye, guys! Don't cry over me…_'

"…Huh? Wait!… I-I… I can talk underwater?! SWEET!" she cheered, illuminating with joy. An obvious extra tidbit was that she could clearly _breathe_ underwater now, too! Smiling as bright as pearls, she gazed around at all her friends excitedly, "Hey guys! Can you help me get to the shore? I need to get home!"

By a second's delay, native fish of the current swam to meet her, tucking under her arms and nudging her back. Like the force of one they swam. And in no time at all, she was freed of the river. Unfortunately – perhaps it was because she was new to this power – the fish assumed that by saying 'get me to the shore', she meant get on the shore. So they threw her quietly forcefully onto the ground, and swam away leisurely like it was of the norm.

"OW!... 'kay, I clearly have work to do."

"JEM!" A chipper, weak voice called. She tried to move to look at the person, really she did, but she just…she didn't know why, but even out of the water, she couldn't move a single fiber of her body!

"…Ch…Chichiri?" Okay, so she could move her mouth –duh- but it hurt a lot to do so.

"Hey…how are you feeling?"

"I-I…I feel fuzzy."

"…Fuzzy?" She could almost hear him tilting his head.

"And I can't move." She added, "Well, except for my mouth." Chichiri didn't respond immediately, which made Jem somewhat nervous. Did he think it was strange? He must have been with her since the ceremony started… He saw her when she looked deformed and frightening. With a cringe, she tried to roll over, to get a clearer view so she could see his reaction, or to just get away. She was able to get her limbs to twitch on command, but that was the apparent extent of her strength for the time being.

The monk saw this and panicked, "H-Hey! Don't move around like that, you know? You just said you can't move!"

Her eyes tightened. Now she was being scolded. Oh no, so much for—

To Jem's surprise, she was suddenly uplifted. At first, she believed that Arashi had arrived, to save her from the awkwardness. But the hands she caught sight of on her hips and shoulders were clearly not feminine. Her eyes opened wide, and though her outer shell was still, her blood coursed rapidly and her heart beat fiercely. "Chi-Chichiri…!"

"Don't worry, y'know? I'll take you back to the village myself, you know." Declared the monk as he waited for no form of protest. In a second, they were off. In a second, her heart skipped a beat.

"Oh you don't have to carry me like this. I could…make a wave carry me ov—oh, I might drown everyone…Oh! Call Arashi! She could fly me over!" She felt her spirits rise at the idea.

"…You don't want me to carry you?" He looked at her through his mask. She sweat dropped nervously.

"It's not that. I mean you stayed by my side all night… You deserve a rest." Her comment ended on a sourer note.

"Oh, I see." He nodded, "…But it's okay, y'know! It makes more sense this way, y'know?" He cheered and continued to march onward.

Somehow, in a strange way, in a way she knew she wasn't suppose to feel, she was oddly touched by his concern…and then somewhat offended by her idea being shot down.

_!oxo! Later That Day, In The Village… !oxo!_

"WAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"OH, NOT AGAIN!" screamed all village citizens who hadn't screamed first.

"G-GET…OUTTA HERE! ACK, NO!" With attitude like that, it was clearly Arashi.

This time, when they gathered, they had no enthusiasm. They all yawned while marching over, weapons once again at the ready, but that was all they offered.

So unconcerned were they, that they let Mikomi open the door.

"…It's just Sei'ki." Jem somewhat hissed. From her perch on Chichiri's back, she looked about as aggravated as a bee in a honey comb; she was more so burning with embarrassment. To retaliate, Arashi quipped, "I thought Enzeru held the power over fire, not you're face." A tongue was shown to her as a poor counter.

" 'It's _just_ Sei'ki'?" the Thundress cried, "That's _mean_ Jem! And here I was, so happy to see you!" And she cried and cried.

"…And I thought Jem controlled water." The Wind mistress mumbled to herself this time.

"Oh, please forgive her, y'know," Chichiri piped up, "She's not feeling well, you know? She was actually in the middle of a nap when Arashi called us in, you know?"

"…Is that all?" Enzeru smirked. She received a tongue display too, and a flick on the nose.

"…WOW!" Sei'ki squealed. Everyone covered their ears in protest, "ONE OF THEM TALKED TO ME! IT'S SO COOL!"

"Hey what about me?" huffed Tasuki.

"WOW THEY BOTH TALKED TO ME!" Tasuki felt proud of himself.

"Oh, he's not that special." Koa sighed.

"HEY!"

"Well anyway, what are you doing here?" Mikomi questioned, tilting her head.

"I'm here to tell you that Hyou wants me to tell him about Jem's…special time. He let me stay so I could tell him when something happened, and boom! Something did! Plus, I think we need the elders' help, to get Jem's body movin' again!"

'_We?_' thought the others.

Jem's hands tightened onto Chichiri's shoulders then. And Tasuki had heard Koa's immediate reaction; '_NO!_'

The Suzaku exchanged glances, nodded, then Chichiri whispered back to the Elemental on his back, "Hey, Jem?"

"Huh? Yeah?" she whispered in return.

"Maybe now would be the time to follow through with what we told the Emperor." A breeze blew by unnoticed…

"Yeah! We should call that Mitsukake gu—"

"TRAITOR!"

"Oh, Arashi, SHUT UP!" Enzeru whined. It wasn't just her ears that were ringing.

"We are NOT inviting any OTHER Suzaku here! I SWEAR it on my LIFE!"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

MERRY CHRISTMAS, Jem! To everyone, really! May your winter season be as joyous as you have earned it to be!

Blessed be, to all!


End file.
